The story [in 12 Years a Slave] serves as a metaphor for the fear of having your family taken away, and for being abused in such a horrific way. I lost it a lot of times watching that film, particularly when seeing the grace of the man when he finally makes it back home aged, changed, forever brutalized, and yet he apologizes to his family for his long absence. That was such a profoundly moving moment capturing the triumph of dignity over the disgraceful behavior of those involved in the slave trade.

There's no shame in stealing - any actor who says he doesn't is lying. You steal from everything.

There are other people who don't mind shouting from the pulpit and being judged for it, and they do a hell of a lot of good - real, on-the-ground, life-changing good. So I think it can sometimes be a balancing act.

I struggle to learn by rote. I've had meltdowns on set. Which is embarrassing and shameful.

Maybe it's because I was an only child, but I've always wanted kids.

It's very easy to be cynical about any kind of interference in things that are beyond our skill set.

Because reading is one of the joys of life, and once you begin, you can't stop, and you've got so many stories to look forward to.