Quotes

Sometimes what you turn out may be just a performance, but sometimes what you create will change the way people think about a play, character or situation for the rest of their lives. We don't have to be happy about it - we just have to do it well. That's why acting is not a trade; it's a vocation.

I try to be as healthy as I can, but I fail in so many ways. Haagen-Dazs strawberry cheesecake ice cream is one downfall; tarte au citron is another.

I had a taste of the Hollywood experience doing 'Primary Colors.' Constant sunshine, your own chauffeur, drop-top BMW, the life of a 'major motion-picture star.' Then I came home and did no paid work for a year.

Our daughters keep my feet on the ground - you learn this complete, unconditional love and it brings everything together.

I have a lot of respect and love for NHS workers.

I was a fan of sci-fi shows, such as 'Space: 1999,' 'Blake's 7' and 'UFO.'

I was an Englishman in New York playing a New Yorker... I had to be very careful with my accent.

I love doing theatre and musicals, but when we start shooting 'Hustle' we film two episodes concurrently, with the scenes out of sequence. Knowing where you are in the intricate plots at any one moment is quite - how shall I put this? - challenging.

The appeal of 'Hustle' has always been that the con artists are actually very moral - we've simply made the villains the heroes, and the good guys always come out on top.

What's been crucial to 'Hustle's' success is the sense that the gang could survive in prison or on the streets.

Doctor Who' is a great part and I grew up with the series, but I've never done anything more than express my admiration for it.

I like cycling. I'm fairly fit but if I had to sprint for a long time, I don't think I could sustain it.

I've studied martial arts.

In career terms, I will take risks and put myself under great pressure, but I will do a lot of research and work to mitigate that risk. I don't foolishly jump in, because as a parent you can't live on the fly: you've got responsibilities.

I don't believe in gods or doctrines. I have a more humanistic approach.

I've always been a city boy and it's why I love the Big Apple so much.

Try to sleep as much as you can to look fresh after a flight.

I can't travel without my Sony noise-cancelling, in-ear headphones, my Bluetooth speaker and at least one baseball hat.

I like to do a bit of snorkelling, diving and swimming or just hanging out on a beach.

There's been an obvious shift in that it is now uncomfortable for a white actor to black up.

I believe we are moving towards a utopia where pretty much any actor can play anything - soon we'll get to a point where the race and class and gender of the actor will not matter and that has changed since I left drama school in 1989.

When I left Rada I didn't think about tweeting as a career move.

I don't want to be pinned down.

There are certain actors who, when they appear in a drama, you know exactly what you're going to get. That's not me - if that were my career, I'd find it boring.

Sunday lunch was a big thing for me as a child with all the family coming together. The kids would all eat first and then break out and go and make noise, leaving the adults to eat and talk in peace.