‘He’s a real entrepreneur, you know? He started with nothing. He’s a very shrewd guy.

‘When I was in public office, one of the things we did was design and implement the Ontario Film Development Corporation. Robert was very sensitive to the government’s role in creating a strong filmmaking community, and really, he designed the ofdc.

‘I would go to him and say, `How do we build a business here, how do we create policies that work?’

‘I don’t want to brag, but in retrospect, it was an enormously successful initiative. And it wasn’t just the ofdc. We brought Wayne Clarkson in to run it, who did a fantastic job. Norman Jewison and the Canadian Film Centre were starting up and so the ideas as a group worked together as a community effort to build first-rate crews and a support system that works.

‘Robert was always very sensitive to the nuances of public policy. It wasn’t that he was a partisan Liberal particularly; he was just interested in developing a creative working community and we became friends. After I got thrown out of politics, we stayed friends.

‘He’d visit me at my farm and our kids hung out. Our families would get together for dinner and play charades. For a great director and producer he’s a crappy charades player.’

Was it difficult for one of the bluntest, most outspoken men in the industry to ‘be sensitive’ to the nuances of public policy?

‘He was realistic about it but he was forceful. He sure as hell put his views forward and raised issues. He’d tell policymakers when they were crazy. It’s the same approach he takes every time he makes a speech. You always know he’s going to raise hell when he makes a speech. Whether he’s giving an award to John Cassaday or giving Air Canada a hard time, it’s always a surprise and he has a strong sense of drama.

‘He’s a genuine artist. He’s got taste and he’s highly intellectual; it’s a gift to be both an artist and a mogul.

‘I just love seeing this little Hungarian kid get where he wants to go, make a little cash – do you believe $50 million? – and then go back to telling stories.’

David Peterson is a lawyer and former Ontario Liberal premier.