I've always had a 'Work hard, play hard' attitude to life - I still do - but sometimes you get involved in something that needs a calm, methodical approach.

You can't do something that is morally vacuous or dysfunctional and then write it off saying, 'It wasn't my film, I was just doing a job in it.'

I was, if you like, a successful schoolboy in that I had a degree of talent in all the required things that make you a success at school.

For me the rehearsal period is the part I most enjoy. It's the creating of the story.

I want to make a clear distinction between people who take acting seriously and people who call themselves actors because theyve been on reality TV or something.

I think you can't be really posh and be an interesting actor. I'm a bit of a posh rough.

You know, this idea of going around the world imposing democracy by growing a middle-class, a trading merchant class that is independent of your faith, is a good notion, but we're all partially different - it's no good imposing systems on people that it doesn't suit.