Everything that we have gone through, are going through, and will go through is there in Shakespeare. It is all of human life.

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

I love storytelling and I love just relating directly to an audience. That's why we do theatre, it's because we love contact with the audience. We love the fact that the audience will change us. The way the audience responds makes us change our performance.

I actually wanted to be a writer long before I wanted to be an actor.

Jesus is absolutely at the centre of Western civilisation and part of my fascination with him is, why? What is it about this particular man and his story?

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

Artists probably should have some impenetrable aspects of themselves.