A lot of young directors, they're not confident; they're not open to the emotional level of the scene.

I have to be stretched in some way. There's not enough things that come my way that I fancy.

A lot of people only see me as villains.

The very first film I ever saw was during the war. My mother took me, I must have been about 4, and that was Beau Geste, with Gary Cooper.

All actors are incredibly insecure.

What I wanted more than anything was a long career.

I wasn't at all sure I could make that sort of leap into that sort of comic book reality.