I think you have to find the humanity in the character and then the deterioration is a part of the process - the journey of the character. It's like playing King Lear. You can start off as a nice old man who finishes up crazy.

I do regard myself as very lucky.

I would love to direct a feature and have Robert Connolly produce it. That would be really fab.

Some people would say I've made it now.

Listening and hearing are two different things, and acting is comprehending what the person is saying, thinking how it makes you feel and responding. That's the key to really honest, truthful, compelling performance.

I'll never forget anything about Middle Earth. That's part of my memory now so I won't miss anything.

Id love to work with the people who really got the film industry going again through the 70s: Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford, Gillian Armstrong, Fred Schepisi.