Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my neighbours.

Spending way too long worrying about what people think about me is a bad habit.

I'm a massive scaredy cat. I'm scared of being in a fast car, I'm scared of being on a rollercoaster, I would never go skiing, I would never do anything that had the possibility of endangering my life in any way. I should get some therapy, really.

I'll cry anywhere because I can do it quite subtly. Walking, that's a good time to have a cry.

I think the best comedy is tragicomic. Yeah, I suppose if you were to look at everything I've done, there is a bit of a black streak through all of it. It's not deliberate: it's what makes me laugh, and there's a fine tradition of it, especially in Ireland.

You've only got a short shelf-life as an actor, and I want to make the most of it while I can.

You feel you can pretend to be young until you're 50, but after that, what happens and how do you approach it?