You could say Shakespeare is so extraordinary precisely because he was so ordinary. He had all the usual anxieties and understandings of what it is to have children, lose children, get married, struggle to make a living and so on.

Having caught a glimpse of what I might be able to do with my talent, I feel a tremendous obligation to try to fulfill it.

I've come to this conclusion: What makes a great actor is great need. A huge need of acting.

You could say Shakespeare is so extraordinary precisely because he was so ordinary. He had all the usual anxieties and understandings of what it is to have children, lose children, get married, struggle to make a living and so on.

To enter a theatre for a performance is to be inducted into a magical space, to be ushered into the sacred arena of the imagination.

Childhood didn't have a big influence on me, really - in fact I spent most of it plotting how to escape.

Shakespeare wrote all there is that we need to know about dementia in 'King Lear.