Even in cerebral roles that are seemingly intelligent and nothing else, I think it's so important to wrap your characterization in a physical form as well.

My first, big, silly role at school was as Arthur Crocker-Harris in Rattigan's 'The Browning Version,' where my job was to make school-masters' wives weep with recognition.

All the backstories are there but not talked about.

Animations are really powerful - it's not just entertainment, it's a very cunning way to get good ideas across.

The awful lesson of history is that we too often ignore people, just because they're foreigners or different from us.

People always want to knock you when you're up.

I always get self-conscious about what I look like in a film, but less so if I'm a character very far removed from who I am. Then I just worry about the performance, and that's equally an odd experience.