I'm a big fan of British cinema; I think we make some unbelievably brilliant films, but they can quite often have a dark feel.

From a stupidly young age I was always involved in anything, whether it be a nativity play or little kids plays. Wherever it was, I was involved and I think it was because more than anything, I wanted to be the center of attention.

I did listen to 1920s jazz or Al Johnson and a lot of early singers coming out of England. I would branch out a little bit to get a sense of the world that he might be coming into, in the '30s when jazz was changing.

I've always loved [acting] and I've always wanted to [do it] from as far back as I can remember.

A lot of the time when you're doing your own work, it's all in your own head, which can be frustrating if you're prepping for something, especially an audition where it's all in your brain and you go in and no one else has seen it and you don't really know how it fits.

There's a lot of content out there that's for an older audience but what struck me was that people who like those grittier, slightly punchier shows could still watch this but with their children as well.

I don't think I'm ugly, but I never thought I was that special.