I have this theory that, depending on your attitude, your life doesn’t have to become this ridiculous charade that it seems so many people end up living.

There are occasions when I’ve pretended to be in a firefight, and then there are people who have really been in a firefight. Clearly it’s absolutely ridiculous, and even disrespectful, to suggest that I understand...

And being as I’m somebody who loves movies like The Machinist, I also love going along to big mass entertainment movies. I get in the mood for all kinds of movies, and so I like...

I started my career without fans.

I don’t have acknowledged preferences of characters.

I do like taking stuff seriously that a lot of people look at as nonsense. I enjoy the insanity of that. And I like the commitment that is needed for that.

I tend to stay in character between scenes… to be rather serious on set, but here’s why, and I think people will find it surprising. I’m one of the worst ‘corpses’ on a movie set,...

Everyone always tells you that you’re the only one that can do this or that role right, and if you say no, they go to somebody else and tell them that they’re the only one...

No, only disappointment in myself on those occasions I didn’t manage to rise to the occasion as I felt I should’ve done. I can always see how to do it, and then the challenge is,...

I’ve had some painful experiences in my life, but I feel like I’m trivializing them by using them for a scene in a movie. I don’t want to do that. It just makes me feel...

I’ve always believed that the director does whatever the hell he wants. That’s what you sign on for as an actor – I can’t stand it when you have actors who are trying to leverage...

I’m not really into musicals.

I don’t personally look to my own life experiences for answers about how to play a scene.

I have a fear of being boring.

So yeah, a good director will be able to listen and hear everything, but have a confident vision of his own that he can say, ‘oh yeah – that’s a great point.’ And you never...

I always figure hey, look, I’m not a rock star, I’m an actor. I’m somebody who’s meant to be other people and I’m not meant to be here representing myself. I’m happier when I’m presenting...

I only sound intelligent when there’s a good script writer around.

If I’m not working, I really have nothing to do with it – I’m not hanging out and mixing with film people. Not that I have anything against film people; they’re some of the best...

I’ve always felt that I would rather see an actor, writer, or musician’s work, rather than actually know the person. If you know too much about an artist, it somehow lessens their ability to do...

I start from scratch with each movie; I wipe the slate and I certainly don’t rely on some bag of acting tricks I’ve amassed over the years.

I’m English. Our dentistry is not world famous.

The only thing that I’m obsessed with is sleeping, and actually, it is more than an obsession, it is a pleasure.

We are starting off with our own different characters and our own laws and everything, looking at Bruce Wayne and how he came to be the person that he was and how he comes to...

I don’t want to know about the lives of other actors and I don’t want people to know too much about me. If we don’t know about the private lives of other actors, that leaves...

An actor should never be larger than the film he’s in.

When it comes to films, people often don’t differentiate between the message of a bad central character and the message of the film itself. They are two separate things.

It’s about pursuing it rather than waiting to see what comes along. That’s partly because I found myself getting typecast, as everyone does unless they pursue roles that are very different from what they’ve done...

A teenager usually wants to try to get people to notice him in some way, to feel like someone gives a damn. Me, all that attention, I just wanted to fade into the background. Be...

I think mostly it’s the adventure that I will have in making the movie. That’s what I look for.

It’s the actors who are prepared to make fools of themselves who are usually the ones who come to mean something to the audience.

And I not only inherited an aversion to the nine-to-five routine, but the sense from my parents that being bored and boring is the worst thing that you can be.

A lot of actors say that theater’s the thing for them. And that’s great, and I’m not one to speak with any authority about it because of not having done it properly. For me, movies...

I met my grandfather just before he died, and it was the first time that I had seen Dad with a relative of his. It was interesting to see my own father as a son...

I find what I do for a living really funny. I mean, acting is kind of a hilarious thing for a grown man to call a job.

Planning a career, I always find that such a tricky thing, because I don’t have much of a plan, really.

One of the places where we lived when I was growing up had this big wood out the back. And starting when I was about 8, I used to enjoy just walking alone through the...

But I learned that there’s a certain character that can be built from embarrassing yourself endlessly. If you can sit happy with embarrassment, there’s not much else that can really get to ya.

I’m an actor I’m not a politician. I always kick myself when I talk too much about family, or personal things.

The interesting thing about a movie is the movie.

‘Batman’ took 10 months to film, and by the time I stopped working on it, it took a long time before my English accent came out again. I was actually having to try for it.

All I’ve ever ended up with in terms of achievements is the movie, some really stupid anecdotes, a bunch of crosswords that I didn’t finish and maybe some old bicycle that I found lying around...

I’m not an actor that tends to care. I don’t ask ‘Is this a close up? Is this a master? Is this a wide? What are you doing? If I look up and notice the...

I never want to feel that I’m playing it safe.

But I enjoyed getting sick, I didn’t mind it at all. So in that short amount of time, I did actually go from 121 right back up to 180, which is way too fast obviously....

‘The Machinist’ changed me. I learned that I really enjoy, literally, not saying a damned word for days at a time, except for what was in the scene. Whole days of… nothing. Just… standing still....

My hope is that people will be repulsed by the character’s complete lack of ethics and obsession with consumerism – that’s what I was saying about the difference between the character’s message and the film’s...

The only thing I would unequivocally say is that I have never had any interest in romantic comedy I just couldn’t do it. I think I’d be terrible.

The point of having a director is that they make the final decision; it’s their point of view, they set the rhythm and they make the final decisions.

Essentially, I’m untrained, so I just go with my imagination and try to put myself as solidly as I can into the shoes of whatever person I’m going to be playing.

I don’t get it when you get so much openness about the way movies are made, and the special effects and the behind-the-scenes stuff and all of that. I can’t help but feel like this...