You're taking big risks doing comedy, because ultimately, you're trying to be funny. If you're not funny, you look like an idiot. You have to be prepared to look like an idiot, so you need to have confidence in the man at the helm of it all. You have to take a massive leap of faith and be daring and bold with your choices. It always makes for better work I think.
Dominic CooperI'm always in awe of directors because they're just holding so much stuff in the air. They've got so many decisions that they need to be making and they have to have the complete overall look of what the piece of artwork is.
Dominic CooperThe people in Iraq lived essentially good lives. They had brilliant health and education systems. Saddam actually created an incredible infrastructure in a very difficult country, but they were a Mafia family. If you said anything against that regime or that family you would be killed instantly.
Dominic CooperYou'd probably never recognize the drummer from your favorite band ever, if they walked past you on the street. I didn't even recognize the drummer from Pink Floyd the other day, and they're one of the biggest bands in the world ever. That's their choice, they're not the front man, they don't want to be, they want to be behind their drum kit. They're always the ones in the photo shoots that look slightly uncomfortable when they're forced to wear a leather jacket.
Dominic CooperIt's a very, very exciting time, but you can't help thinking or not quite knowing how it's seen from the outside. You're constantly in a state of terror or regret, not quite knowing how things are going to pan out, or whether you've made the right decisions. But, maybe that's just what it's like. Maybe that's just the life of it.
Dominic CooperEspecially with comedy, you take massive risks because ultimately you're trying to be funny. If you're not funny, then it's really embarrassing and you look stupid.
Dominic CooperSo, you just have to keep pushing yourself with regards to the choices you make, to make sure they're very different from one another, I suppose. I don't know. I don't have any answer for any of that. I can't help but just say yes to lots of work that comes my way because I'm so relieved and so desperately excited and pleased that anyone could possibly offer me any work anyway.
Dominic Cooper