I don't want to be an English actor doing the greatest American accent you've ever heard. I want to be an American doing nothing.

I didn't want to come in the movie every so often, every 20 minutes saying, 'Dinner is served, would you like coffee?'

To me, 'Educating Rita' is the most perfect performance I could give of a character who was as far away from me as you could possibly get and of all the films I have ever been in, I think it may be the one I am most proud of.

When I was a young actor I was in a lot of film doing one day work and two days' work, and they've included all those titles, which I don't even remember. I think I've played the lead in about 75 movies.

My career is going better now than when I was younger. Now I get the part. Back then, I'd get the girl.

I don't work very much, and I just sit here waiting for a script that I can't refuse - and I'm not talking about money.

I've got a lot of back-up because my father was a Catholic, my mother was a Protestant, I was educated by Jews and I'm married to a Muslim. So I won't lose out on a technicality.