Acting is about giving something away, handing yourself over to whatever role you are asked to play. I'm not hiding or escaping or seeking anonymity. I reserve the right not to have a rubber stamp on my forehead saying this is who I am. Because who I am gets in the way of people looking innocently at the parts I play.

Those of you who are not aware of my brilliant career as a stand up comic, I'm not aware of it either so we might well wonder what we're doing here.

Any actor who judges his character is a fool - for every role you play you've got to absorb that character's motives and justifications.

If you could build a house on a trampoline, that would suit me fine.

In theater, you've got to be aware of your whole body because it involves stamina. It involves two-and-a-half hours and a sustained release of energy, maybe for six months.

I was 7, and I remember being given a part in a play and thinking, This is exciting.

I knew with Snape I was working as a double agent, as it turns out, and a very good one at that.