You know, I'm a skinny Irish guy.

It's obvious that if you're going to play a character you need to amass information about that person and about their environment or their era that they're in and use as little or as much as necessary

Having started out in theatre, I feel an impulse to do it as much as I can

It was very much about performances, the whole ensemble thing was just great - everybody working together. Sometimes it didn't feel like a film set. It wasn't technically driven, it was very, very enjoyable

My wife can see always how a part affects me personally because she has to live with it.

I've always felt kind of safe on stage, protected. I've talked to other performers about this and they feel the same things, particularly in the live arena. I never get nervous going on stage to do a play. Doing film or television I'll have more butterflies.

With some films you can sort of slide in, get a haircut and you're in.