How would you describe "Hedwig"?

I think of it as a rock ‘n’ roll fairytale, a rock musical... And it’s my version of some of the films I grew up with like "Harold and Maude", "All That Jazz", and "Nashville".

Where did you get your inspiration from?

I had the Plato myth about the origins of love first and then there was an autobiographical element to it. My Dad was a US Army general in Berlin and Hedwig was based on a woman who was our babysitter. She was a German army wife but also a prostitute and provided the visual inspiration for Hedwig. A Marlene Deitrich style figure with big hair.

Did you have to battle to keep your vision of "Hedwig" intact on screen?

The battle was the budget but you always have to work within a budget. New Line completely supported my vision, I never had to do anything I didn’t want to. It’s purely about money, the more the budget, the more studios will interfere, so you have to understand that and choose to work on a smaller budget.

Would you want to take on a big budget movie?

I’ve had a lot of good offers but I’m coming into this later in life and I know what I like. I know the way I want to work and I’m not about to do a Hollywood hire. I’d like to work more on my own stuff.

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is released in UK cinemas on Friday 31st August.