I like Edward G. Robinson - he started as a character actor and became a lead, which is probably why I like him.
The actor is in the hands of a lot of other people, over which he has no control.
I think in a play it's wise to just sit back and watch other actors and be able to shape it from the audience.
My height can be a problem. A lot of directors and photographers are sometimes not happy because I'm pretty tall and especially if I work with short actors the difference can be pretty massive.
What I learned as an actor was the only way you could really do August Wilson's work, you had to leave an ounce of your essence on that stage,... Otherwise it was impossible.
If I am looking at my work as an actor after having directed, I'm able to look at things in a much more technical way. There's no question about that.
You work really hard to make it, and maybe you get some acclaim, but then you realize there are certain limitations as an actor.
I'm not Tom Cruise. Very few British actors are. If you look at the body of work I've done it's pretty obvious I'm not going to make a 'Mission: Impossible.'
I'm always envious of the actors who get to come to work every day and really grow deep roots there, but it is really fun playing lots of different characters.
The thing about being an actor is that every new job is a new challenge. Sometimes you'll have a shot, and it doesn't work. Sometimes it'll work better than you expected.
So many actors wear wigs nowadays. Besides, if someone is hiring me because of how I wear my hair, I don't want to work with them anyway.
I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to work with some directors and some actors I wouldn't have dared to think I would work with one day.
I've never had a plan. You look for different actors you want to work with or different subjects you want to explore, or sometimes it's just a momentary fancy.
Acting is really scary, but it's also challenging, fun, hard work. There's always an element of improvisation with every actor, even when something is really scripted.
It's all about doing work, being creative and staying true to who you are and having fun. That's what us actors are all about.
What I wish more than anything is that I could start getting press about my work as an actor. That is what I do. I'm not a criminal.
I used to ask Sean questions about acting. He's a brilliant actor, but I could never digest his information. I work primarily on an intuitive level.
I didn't do this for the President. When I had this opportunity, not only was it work, but it was something that I could do, as an actor, for the victims and their families. Something I could give back.
There is this immediate connection, this intimacy when you're acting because there's no room to be polite or shy. Also, as an actor I get to connect with women I've never met before.
You can't be vain as an actor. In 'Ab Fab,' we were made up as old women with bald wigs and jowly necks, and we looked fantastic.
It's more acceptable for guys to get old and craggy and become wonderful character actors as they get older, but women aren't allowed to get old and craggy in the same way.
