My own mentality is that I've retired. They send me these scripts and if I absolutely have to do it, then I go to work.

If you're a movie star, you get the girl, you lose the girl, and then you get her back. But if you're a character like me, you lose the girl, then you get another one, then you get another one, then you lose them all, then you lose your life.

A lot of my best parts I've been the second choice for, so you never get too egotistical about anything.

How can I change me to suit the script?

At age 11, I went to a Jewish school. I speak Yiddish. I'm Church of England Protestant. My father was Catholic, and my mother was Protestant. My wife is a Muslim.

It's vital to have your own space so you aren't constantly in each other's pockets.

In the sixties, everyone you knew became famous. My flatmate was Terence Stamp. My barber was Vidal Sassoon. David Hockney did the menu in a restaurant I went to. I didn't know anyone unknown who didn't become famous.