When I see great boxers, it's like reading a wonderful poem.

It's still a great, big, beautiful, wonderful world no matter what the headlines of the newspapers are and it's there to be explored. It's there for our children to go out and explore and explore different cultures and learn from it. I never lose hope.

I am totally for gun control in the U.S. The population of America is roughly 300 million and there are 300 million guns in this country, which is terrifying. Every day we're seeing some kid running rampant in a school. And do you know what the gun lobby's response to Newtown was? The National Rifle Association's official response was, 'If that teacher had been armed' It's crazy.

There seems to be more opportunities for old guys like me to do a little fighting and running because the lead characters also require a bit of depth and maturity and gravitas that one is likely to acquire doing drama all those years.

I was always attracted to the type of cinema hero as an adolescent growing up in Ireland. Robert Mitchum springs to mind. Later on, it was Steve McQueen to a certain extent and Charles Bronson. They're these types of grizzled characters who had one foot on the side of law and order and the other foot in the bad guy's camp.

I have no desire to play King Lear or Hamlet. I never had a grand ambition. I just followed my nose.

It is fun to explore these kick-butt characters.