It was such an interesting character and the film really explored his friendship with Bond and how it all went wrong, so it was a very personal journey for both characters.

Every actor wants to find a piece of work that's innovative and powerful and moving.

Lord of the Rings was just so much enjoyment. It was over about the space of a year that I was filming. It's one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done, so emotional.

Usually you tend to glean much more information about your character from what other people say about you, rather than how it's described in the books.

The idea is that Jodie Foster is with her child and she's going back to New York from Germany with her husband's body. She loses her child on a plane, and you think, 'How can that happen?' There's no record of her having brought a child onto the plane, and the captain is left wondering about whether she's telling the truth. You never really know if she's telling the truth or not.

I had no intention of being an actor. I was quite good at it. I was pretty capable at other things but never any good at anything.

I think that you always have something left, that you take something of the character with you.