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.

A lot of movie stars are not great actors; they're just very good-looking. And when they start to age and they don't have the looks any more, then it's over.

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

The American cinema in general always made stories about working-class people; the British rarely did. Any person with my working-class background would be a villain or a comic cipher, usually badly played, and with a rotten accent. There weren't a lot of guys in England for me to look up to.

My dialogue coach said to do a Texas accent, you lean on the next word, and that was the clue to me.

In film, other actors' performances really are not your concern. If the other actor isn't giving you what you want, act as though he were.

Save your money. You're going to need twice as much money in your old age as you think.