I think people ought to do what they feel useful at the time. If I do things because I ought to do them, I switch off.

It must be odd, being recognisable. I would hate to lose that anonymity. It happened for a while with 'Spooks.' No one notices me now.

I can't throw books away. My wife is always telling me to get rid of some.

What's exciting is there's a curtain that divides the audience from this other world. You want to see behind.

You'd never play Hamlet if you started worrying about who's played it before you.

I did four or five years in telly, and by the end of it was drained. I was a bit sick of myself. I didn't feel like an actor anymore. That sounds silly, but when you're doing a play you're using different muscles, and it blew all the cobwebs away.

I think it sits quite happily with me, the condition of being an actor. I see some people getting quite eaten up with it, with the insecurities. There are times when I long for continuity and stability, but I also love the idea of not knowing what I'll be doing next - or even if I'm going to work.