Jan 26, 2008, 11:35 GMT
Tim Burton has revealed his parents bricked up his windows as a child.
01/23/2008 - Tim Burton - Tim Burton Speaks to Fans at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, Italy on January 23, 2008 - Auditorium Parco della Musica - Rome, Italy © Insidefoto / PR Photos
The eccentric gothic filmmaker - whose hit films include 'Edward Scissorhands, 'The Corpse Bride', 'Big Fish' and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' - had to climb up to look at the world through a tiny slit as a young boy.
Burton, 49, told Australian newspaper The Age: "I had two windows that looked out to the lawn. For some reason my parents walled them up and gave me this little slit window that I had to climb up on my desk to see out of. To this day I never asked them why."
The 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' director and his partner Helena Bonham Carter now live in separate, adjoining terraced houses in north London with their two children, four-year-old Billy and a one-month-old daughter they are yet to name.
Helena, 41, previously revealed: "His side is messier and decorated with props from the films. My side is cutesy, Beatrix Potter, which is fine for him to visit but there's no way he could live in it. He thinks his side is James Bond."
Their son Billy's bedroom is in Tim's house.
Helena said: "I have the kitchen and a fire so we'll watch TV in my place.
"There is no normality in life. Having two houses means that we can get out of each other's hair - which, let's face it, we've both got a lot of!"
(C) BANG Media International
Your Talkback on this Story