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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
