I'm no good at down-time. I panic slightly and then plan a project or set up a meeting about starting a project.

You want people to identify with the person on the screen or in the theater, but you don't want them to identify with you as a person.

I'm not a perfectionist at all. I find perfectionists boring because the real creative heart is in the mess somewhere.

We have one life and we should cherish it and make it the best we can.

All my good friends are actors, really. It's different when you have a family, but they're still the people I meet most often. My best friend is Ian Hart, but then I've known him since I was five.

Liverpool will always be my home.

I've moved into directing as well as acting, and it has taught me never to take casting personally.