Sometimes it comes out in what I call tricksy behavior. That's not always easy to deal with, but it's fascinating. The key thing is to make sure that somebody's tricks don't trip up somebody else.

When I'm acting, I'm in the director's hands. I'm very happy to be. I like to be focused on what I'm doing.

The ferocity of passion that is engendered by people when they don't like what you've done is really tremendous. It's intense.

I feel more Irish than English. I feel freer than British, more visceral, with a love of language. Shot through with fire in some way. That's why I resist being appropriated as the current repository of Shakespeare on the planet. That would mean I'm part of the English cultural elite, and I am utterly ill-fitted to be.

It's no accident that Cinderella has been in the culture for thousands of years, and in cross cultures. I've traveled a bit recently, and in Russia, they completely believe they own this tale. And in Italy, they feel it absolutely is part of who they are. There is a timeless web to it.

Don’t stand up when you can sit down and don’t sit down when you can lie down.

The best actors, I think, have a childlike quality. They have a sort of an ability to lose themselves. There's still some silliness.