When I won the Oscar, there was something telling me 'this isn't the truth'. I had to get back to real work.

It's challenging as an actor to let go but I had some pleasure out of it too. To not have the effort of having to present myself is quite liberating.

I think acting is about forgetting yourself in order to give the best of yourself. It's passing through you more than you're creating it. You're not the flower, but the vase which holds the flower.

I never really worked in Hollywood. Some American producers came to Europe to shoot films with me, so it's a different situation... It was not my aim.

I move on stage differently. The more you act, anyway, the more you live, your perception of life becomes more and more accurate.

My outlook on life is to be true. To take risks. To love the shadows as well as the light. To find your task. To recognise your task. To be active.

I think I am pretty much melancholic.