When I was 18 and not sure whether I wanted to be an actor, I realised that a playwright has no voice without an actor. That's my reason for acting: to get that character as right as possible for my writer. And I have never changed my philosophy.

Although I'm a very emotional man, I just can't have blind faith, I have to find out for myself.

I can't try to convert anybody. It's not in me to do that. But my faith has given me such an appreciation of people and meaningful relationships, and a world view which I didn't have before. And although I will fail every day, it gives me something to aspire to.

Inevitably, every part an actor plays contains some of himself.

There are clues in the script... he will say "I think drugs are immoral"'... but the guy who says that kills, tortures, pimps and has whores working for him. There is this strange morality going on, which is rather like the Mafia.

A successful swindler has to be a great salesman even more than a great actor.

So, if I ever played Napoleon it would be with an Italian accent. He was an outsider, which also interests me.