Bergman, who suffered a nervous breakdown in the late 1970s, now regulates his life precisely: taking a walk after breakfast, writing for three hours, having lunch and reading in the afternoon.
“Demons don’t like fresh air - they prefer it if you stay in bed with cold feet,” he joked, adding more seriously: “[For] a person who is as chaotic as me, who struggles to be in control, it is an absolute necessity to follow these rules and routines.
“If I let myself go, nothing will get done.”
The director admitted that there were days when he spoke to no one, but he insisted that he was never lonely, despite his isolation.
“There is something joyous about not talking,” he observed.
—Tania Branigan, “Even I think my films are depressing, admits Ingmar Bergman” (The Guardian, April 9, 2004)