You know, London is so sprawling, and you can sometimes forget that anybody else is on a stage anywhere else.

It is an ancient need to be told stories. But the story needs a great storyteller. Thanks for all of it, Jo.

The difference between being an actor and a director is simple. The director has to hide his panic; the actor doesn't.

A lot of the time I hate the theater. You think, 'I have to climb Mount Everest, again, tonight.' Oh, the theater is a scary place to be.

I was a student in London in the '70s, so CBGB really wasn't on my radar at all. Obviously, I was aware of the emergence of the Police in England and as an art student, I was very aware of David Byrne, but I suppose my musical taste at that time certainly didn't stretch towards the Dead Boys or the Ramones.

Certainly as actors, and maybe as directors, you've got to hang on to something childlike. You've got to know what play is. I haven't worked with Mike Leigh, but I know him very well and there's something open in his eyes about what's in front of him. And the same is true of Alfonso in a Mexican, mad way. There's an enthusiastic response to something. Neil Jordan, the same, when he gets excited . You just want to know there's a human being in there.

From my experience, I think that every actor has to make sure that they're in charge of their own career somehow or other.