Andy Gotts Andy Gotts his favourite portraits   Brad Pitt. I shot Brad at Shepperton Studios during the filming of 'Troy'.  The film's publicity team where very concerned with the amount of time we would have for the shoot and informed me that the maximum time we would have for the shoot was twelve minutes.  The day previously I had read that Brad travels with an entourage of fourteen people; bodyguards, hair and makeup, etc, so I was not looking forward to having a massive audience.  I was so pleasantly surprised when I answered a knock at the studio door and he was there by himself.  The twelve minutes allotted time stretched to over an hour and a half.  We were having a great laugh and messing about like lads do (and comparing lists of which actresses we thought were hot).  After the shoot he gave me a hug and said that the shoot was the most fun he had had in ages. Cate Blanchett. I shot Cate in a caravan in the car-park of a supermarket in North London.  She was filming 'Notes on a Scandal', and it was a grey and rainy day.  My challenge was to make my photo look like it was taken in a studio and for Cate to look stunning (even though it was 8.30am and she wanted her breakfast!).  Cate was a warm and kind lady with a gentle nature, which I think I captured in the photograph. Christopher Lee. I shot Christopher at the Savoy hotel, London.  I had been looking forward to this shoot for a while for a number of reasons; but I think the main one was that Christopher has been in more movies than anyone else in history, well over 220.  I had spoken to Christopher many times on the phone. He has a very deep monotone voice like a headmaster and I could not help but feel like a schoolboy, and I (for some manic reason) ended up answering every question with 'yes sir'.  I had my equipment all ready when Christopher sat in position and he started to puff on a large cigar.  It was fascinating to hear him recant stories from the old movie days and his crowning glory 'The Wicker Man', though his face did started to contort when he mentioned they are going to remake it.  I could have quite happily listened to his stories all day, but as I was paying for the waiting time for a car to drive him home, I didn't.  As we walked together through the hall ways of the Savoy, he spotted the sheet music for 'The Mikado'.  He looked at me with a boyish glint and told me that he sings everyday...and with that the hallways were filled with a bellowing rendition of 'Three Little Maids'.   Clint Eastwood. It took a very long while to set up the shoot with Clint, as he really does not like photo shoots.  But we finally locked in a day for me to shoot him at the Warner Bros studio lot in Burbank, California.   As I have wanted to shoot Clint for so long I already had the shot I wanted etched into the back of my mind...each time I closed my eyes I could see the exact shot I wanted.  I could see in my mind's eye this hard lit shot, lots of shadow...and his Dirty Harry, or 'The Man With No Name', from the westerns,  glare...as if he was seconds away from drawing his gun.  He walked into the studio and was such a lovely soft spoken gentleman; and I mentioned to him my concept for the shot.  He sat in the exact position I wanted and the lighting was perfect...but he was smiling, and he looked like a happy Grandpa.  I said loudly...'Clint give me Harry!'.  Instantly this look came into his eyes and he thinned his lips...SNAP...that was my shot. Heath Ledger. I shot the late Heath Ledger in Prague during the filming of 'The Brothers Grim'.  I set up my equipment in a spare dressing room and awaited Heath's entrance.  He bounded in the room like an excited puppy and he would not sit still...pulling faces and being very boisterous....things got worse when Matt Damon came into the room to watch (and to say they were acting like two excited four year olds at a wedding would be an understatement).  It was a fantastic shoot and both the lads were fun to hang out with. Heath will be greatly missed by all. Jeff Bridges. 'The Dude'...what an amazing lovely guy.  I shot Jeff at his home in Santa Barbra; he has a music studio next to his house and I set up there.  When he walked in it was like greeting an old friend that you have not had the pleasure of seeing for years; and I was so pleased he had his lovely grey beard, as I knew it would look really good in a black and white shot.  We spoke about his music and his latest movie 'TRON: Legacy' that had just been released and how the FX team made him look 20 years younger to play the part of Clu.  I could not have left the shoot without asking if there was any truth that they were planning a sequel to 'The Big Lebowski'; a huge smile came over his face and he softly shook his head saying 'No man, that's just one sweet dream'.  Morgan Freeman. I shot Morgan in London while he was filming 'Batman Begins'.  I was all set and awaiting the entrance...and was not disappointed when this 6'4 frame of a cinema legend entered the room.  I could not get over how much he looked like Nelson Mandela, he almost had a regal quality about him.  I mentioned his resemblance to Mr Mandela and it turned out Morgan is working on the project of 'Long Work to Freedom', the story of Nelson Mandela...He mentioned even though the script is not finished yet it is whispered that he will receive the best actor Oscar. Paul Newman. I shot Paul in his 5th Avenue apartment, NY.  I had been after Paul for years and he had always declined to be involved, due to his workload and other commitments; which is very understandable.  I had just returned back from New York from shooting Mia Farrow and Susan Sarandon and I was literally going through their photo contact-sheets when I heard the dainty sound of an email arriving.  I checked to see who it was from and to my astonishment it was from Paul's office and it was saying how much Paul would love to be involved, and could I take the shot the following Thursday?  Airfare was not on my mind as I quickly replied saying that I would love to and I started planning my trip.  I had noticed that he always looks very serious in shots and I have heard he does not like to be photographed anyway. But I was so pleasantly surprised when the shoot started, as he was the complete opposite; in fact it was hard to get a straight shot of him as he was constantly larking around. He was hilarious but I still managed to capture my iconic shot. I was delighted. Paul was a very generous and genuinely lovely man, he is greatly missed. Robert De Niro. I shot Robert, or Bob to his friends, at the Dorchester hotel, London.  What struck me from the outset was how quiet and softly spoken he was, so unlike most people that I usually meet.  He had been held up in traffic and arrived late, which gave me plenty of time to play with the lighting.  I normally shoot with only a couple of flashes but as I had time on my hands I set up five of the beauties.  Bob has one of those faces you can really do anything with.   At the end of the shoot we messed around playing with different faces and expressions...then Bob did an impression of Robert de Niro...this was so funny that I have to use this outtake as one of my favorite shots. Sidney Poitier. You cannot think about Mr Poitier or talk about him without using the word 'Legend'.  He changed the landscape of acting for an entire generation and every generation since.  Mr Poitier was the first black man to achieve the Best Actor Academy Award, an accolade that no one, at the time, thought would happen.  I shot him at his home in Beverly Hills and he was every inch the legend I thought he would be.  He is a very quiet and humble man, and spoke about the hardship of his family during his childhood years and the long hard path he trod to get to Hollywood. Tears welled up in his eyes a few times when recalling this journey.  For the shot I did not want anything over the top I just wanted him to be him...just capture his majesty...he stood tall...took a lung full of air...exhaled and looked directly into the lens...and that was the shot.  All of our advertising is certified by Google and therefore may be viewed safely.