Many very strong fathers have turned out ineffectual sons by not allowing them to grow as men.

I remember when I read Walter, for example, six years ago now, I said, "This is the role for me." I said that to my family. There was something there that I knew was absolutely right, and that was just based on the character. That's when gut instinct comes into play. I know there are certain things I won't do.

A lot of the times, roles are chosen for us.

I'm a character actor, so as a character actor, I'm always looking for something interesting.

I didn't drop into the mannerisms of another version of the character, but I guess I was pretty alert to that.

Lord Of The Rings fandom was massive, worldwide, entrenched. Generally it had been part of the fans' life all their life, because they had it read to them as children; they'd become Tolkien students.

I don't know where the line is. I don't know how much of myself is in Walter. There's got to be a bit of him there.