In anything really, it's finding the reality. You can't be 'real,' but you can create a reality. And that created reality is what the audience believes in. And that's essential. Because if the audience doesn't believe that, they're never going to trust you. And if they don't trust you, you can't lead them up the mountain.

It's a great relief to feel that you're working with someone rather than for someone. You don't feel that you're being tested, as it were.

There are certain people that when they ask you to do a film, you just say, "Where and when?"

When you're really working well with a director then you can be as outrageous as you like and so can he. And there's no worry about it.

I stopped asking a long time ago, "why would you want me to play that?" I'm an actor. That's what I do.

Anything which retains interest is optimistic. When the characters become disinterested, it's pessimistic. Does that make sense?

I was keen on sports-that's how my nose got this way. It's not actually broken; the nose was just pushed up a little bit and moved over. It's an aquiline nose, quite Irish.