Trying to identify and understand, as opposed to judging, is very important for me, in approaching characters.

The arts are very alive in Ireland, so that had its influence on me. But I consider myself European, really.

Nobody wants to hear Metallica at lunchtime.

Some actors might just do one thing, and another actor does another thing. I do an awful lot of preparation with the script, really. What I do is repeat the script, over and over and over again. Through that, it's almost like it seeps into my enamel. I'm reading all the characters, as well as my own. That is where the bulk of my preparation goes into.

I try my best to find variety in what I'm doing, but there's a lot out there that's the same.

"X-Men" is not really about mutants; it's about humanity. I think it's about the human race. We're an absolutely destructive race. It seems that we can't seem to get beyond this level of tribalism that has been around for thousands of years. Anything we fear we tend to destroy.

My goal was for acting to become my main income. I would say to myself, 'I'm good enough'. That became my mantra.