To be a legend, you've either got to be dead or excessively old.

When I first read Lord of the Rings I wanted to see a film of it. But at that time the technology wasn't there, there was no such thing as CGI.

Every actor has to make terrible films from time to time, but the trick is never to be terrible in them.

People should not pass judgment until they have seen the film.

I think acting is a mixture of instinct, imagination and inventiveness. All you can learn as an actor is basic technique.

Making films has never just been a job to me, it is my life. I have some interests outside of acting - I sing and I've written books, for instance - but acting is what keeps me going, it's what I do, it gives life purpose.

I wasn't a spy. I'd have been spotted in five seconds. Yes, I was in intelligence, but that covered a multitude of things.