Equal partners aren't always what we envision as being manifestly equal. Equality can come in many different shapes and sizes and combinations.

I'm so dependent on reacting to the other actors on the set, and to the director. I'm very responsive. I react. And I treasure the energy that reaction gives.

I just loved playing a man who was unafraid of making an idiot of himself in the process of falling in love. I found that admirable.

But comedy I'd love to do as much as humanly possible.

You can throw away the privilege of acting, but that would be such a shame. The tribe has elected you to tell its story. You are the shaman/healer, that's what the storyteller is, and I think it's important for actors to appreciate that. Too often actors think it's all about them, when in reality it's all about the audience being able to recognize themselves in you. The more you pull away from the public, the less power you have on screen.

My line-learning is very special. I like to learn the dialogue of the whole film before I arrive.

Shakespeare villains were extraordinary. Macbeth, Iago, Richard III... They're so richly layered that a British actor would find it almost impossible to create a two-dimensional villain, if he's explored in his early years or continues to explore his Shakespearean heritage. You can almost not judge them, if they're played really well.