Despite having a cold, Thewlis is in good spirits, poiting out his old flat on the way to his favourite pub. "Spare some change for a song, sir?" The homeless man sits on the pavement.

Thewlis reaches into his pocket: "Give us a song then!" The old man sings, "She said, 'I woke up this morning and I'm free.' And I said, 'It was just a dream.'" He breaks off in fits of boozy laughter. Thewlis applauds and hands him a good sum.

"When I lived here I always kept a pocket full of one-pound coins. There was one homeless guy in particularwho was so clever with the lines - one I even ripped off and put in Naked: 'Can you spare a fag for cancer research?'"

"David seems always in search of connection," Hoffman says. "Connection another human being or another human reality, whether in work or life. That's what drives him. He has such a tremendous empathetic gift."

"The guy just breaks my heart," confesses Caroline Thompson, who directed Thewlis in Black Beauty. "There were a lot of children at the preview and they regonised him and assaulted him for his autograph. I have never seen a bigger smile on a human being's face. He said, 'Thank you! Thank you! After Naked I was vilified on the street and here I am surrounded by children.'"

Several pints later, it begins to rain. Thewlis remains in the Coach & Horses pub, where he can be seen through the window from the street, sitting atop a stool, drinking. Three woman move in, forming a semicircle around him. (Do they know who he is? Or are they just on the scent?) He's handing out cigarettes, laughing a big silent-movie laugh. In the window is a sign advertising Guinness: FOR ACTS OF PURE GENIUS, INQUIRE WITHIN.