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

I have a sort of long-term plan to direct. I'm pragmatic about it. I realize I don't need to rush it or force it.

I'm becoming a frustrated director, I think, in an actor's body.

As we mature and grow older we collect a lot of baggage, and a lot of that stuff you collect on life's journey gets in the way of acting. My kids can imagine a character and transform in the blink of an eye. It's so simple for kids, so complex for adults.

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

In all honesty, if somebody asked me the secret of auditioning for Americans, I don't know. Often, I do what's called self-taping for America. I go over there quite a lot to sit in a room and do stuff in front of people. You feel like a performing monkey. It's bizarre.

I do regard myself as very lucky.