When I was 16, I made some little 35mm documentaries about the poor in London. I went round Notting Hill, which was a real slum in the 1950s, shooting film.

I am very traditional as a man. I am not modern and never have been. I think I was born 50 years of age and out of my time.

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.

In so many roles I've played the outsider. As an outsider, you have more energy to succeed simply because you are an outsider. There are scripts floating around but they're not coming my way and I think that I am getting a little bit too old to play Napoleon. But if I was ever offered the role I would grab it.

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

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

I became fascinated by the fact that people write to give away rather than write to be read. It's the difference between playwrights and novelists.