BOLTON School old boy Andy Paterson told how he broke Scarlett Johansson’s heart.

The film producer behind critically acclaimed releases including Girl with a Peal Earring returned to his former school to share his schoolday memories and Hollywood secrets as he delivered this year’s Tillotson Lecture.

Mr Paterson, an Oxford University graduate, started his film career as a student when he, along with fellow students including his later-to-be-wife Olivia Hetreed, produced and directed Privileged, which starred aspiring actor Hugh Grant.

He shared his story about making Girl with a Pearl Earring, saying he was persuaded — against his better judgement — to cast Kate Hudson as the lead, and when she wavered the backers pulled out leaving him hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt.

Mr Paterson said it was then that he resolved not to allow questionable creative decisions to be made purely in the interests of getting a film made.

He went back to a young unknown called Scarlett Johansson, who had been heartbroken when Mr Paterson turned her down the first time round, and he had to work hard to persuade her that he had always known she was the one.

She relented just in time for Ralph Fiennes to allow his own agents to convince him that Maid In Manhattan should take priority and he too pulled out. The film producer then went to Colin Firth.

Mr Paterson said his favourite story was The Railway Man, which he produced and co-wrote and reunited him with Colin Firth, about a former British Army officer, who was tormented as a Japanese prisoner of war during World War II, and discovered that the man responsible for his torture was still alive.

It took him 14 years to finally see the project through to completion.

Quizzed on what advice he could offer to a young producer, he said: “Don’t mess up your A-levels.”

Mr Paterson cited Harvey Weinstein as the biggest character he had come across in the film industry.

He retold the surreal story of taking Kevin Spacey to afternoon tea at his in-laws near Lulworth Cove whilst filming Beyond the Sea, a film about singer Bobby Darin.

“But it all began here at Bolton School and it is an incredible honour to be here again.”

Mr Paterson delivered the 42nd Tillotson Lecture, a series that has run since 1971. The lecture is available to watch on the school's YouTube Channel.