What I find really interesting is to try and mix it up, to push myself and try different things. I don't want to stay in my comfort zone. I want to take risks and keep myself scared.

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

Even if I'm playing a superhero, it has to be steeped in reality.

Why does a three-year-old, and it's usually boys, want to drive the tractor or have machinery and be in control of it? I don't know. Why wouldn't you ask to boil a kettle or something? Maybe you would, I dunno.

If you're dealing with heavy topic matter, sometimes it's good to have a lightness going into it because it allows you to be open to possibilities, rather than getting rigidly stuck into a certain mind-set. People are strange. When you break up, sometimes you end up laughing with one another, as opposed to crying. Things in life are unusual, and to find those things, it's best to be relaxed.

I take my work seriously but I can't take myself too seriously. I'm in such a crazy privileged position.

There's no point in swanning through and being cool as a breeze in every scene. It's not really that interesting. Even if you're a superhero.