It's fatal to talk about acting. It sounds faintly ridiculous if you start analysing it.
I like being able to go to the supermarket and go on the Tube and have an ordinary domestic life. I'd hate to have to protect myself. I'm quite lucky that I can carry on without any intrusions. I don't get given a hard time by anyone.
Fluency in even one other language would be fantastic.
As a young actor, I was advised to bide my time. Back then, there weren't good roles for someone like me. There were handsome leading men and character actors for smaller supporting roles. But I was told to hang in there, and it was good advice. We're all character actors now. Even a handsome man is a character actor at my age.
I like reflecting the culture I understand best, spotting the idiosyncrasies of British people and revealing them to an audience in a way that amuses is what I find fun.
A make-up artist I know polished her Oscar and it lost its lustre. But if you don't polish it, it doesn't tarnish.
I think we all have a selfish gene which rises to the top, sometimes. But then we're also all capable of a sudden magnanimity.
Occasionally, I've been asked to do American roles, and once or twice I have, but I don't understand Americans. I don't have any real feeling for American culture.
Even for people who live in the country, there is a trepidation now about going outside to play. But it never occurred to us to be fearful when we were young.
