There’s a very strong force in Tolkien’s characters.

I think insanity is the hardest thing to play.

I confess I’ve got a yearning to go to Los Angeles, but I can’t work out if it is because a lot of British actors seem to go or because there’s this perception that the bottom has fallen out of British drama, so therefore, it’s the place to head for.

Give me a character that has an heroic quality, and I’ll go there.

I’d like to live off-grid.

My mum will not speak above a low whisper in public because she doesn’t want to draw attention to herself.

People like continuity, and the good old cliffhanger every week is something they enjoy. I enjoy it – I don’t want to dip into just one episode when I turn on the TV.

I have a bit of pride, which is always my downfall.

To survive in a profession like this, you have to have absolute discipline and commitment, and I did not quite have it for musical theater.

I think my fighting skills have certainly been improved by working with Peter Jackson.

I have an accountant, obviously, because I’m self employed, and I use an independent financial adviser. I trust my accountant because we have worked together for a long time now.

I am just not a water baby. I can swim, but I just don’t.

I’m looking forward to getting fat and old.

Often you find the character through the things they say. How they talk about other people, how they describe themselves – which is very rare.

The narrative that Peter Jackson has put into ‘The Battle of the Five Armies,’ it stands alone as a film. Rather than just finishing off the story, it’s like a whole new adventure all of its own. I’m very excited about it.

I have a visual mind, so when I read a book, I get an instant picture in my head and it’s very clear.

Tolkien made dwarf sign language because, you know, it’s too loud to talk in the mines.

Trying to please everyone can be very hard, but, like ‘Shrek’ or ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Robin Hood’ manages to entertain adults and children at the same time, but in different ways.

I think that internal conflict works very well, because, after all, all the best drama is fuelled by conflict.

I think that when Tolkien created Gollum and the ring, he even expressed in his biography that he never really knew what he created until he went back and looked at it.

I can work hard and be disciplined like a soldier, but I could never reach their level of fitness.

I’m not much of a show-off.

People get to know me slowly and over the course of time. I’ll probably still be a newcomer when I’m 60.

The scariest stunt I’ve ever done was on ‘Captain America.’ We were doing some underwater sequence. I was in a submarine, and Chris Evans had to break the glass, and the water had to fill up quickly in the submarine.

I have been to the theater more since I have lived in New York than I ever really did in London working on a television show.

Whatever I lack in talent I have in stamina.

I read everything that Tolkien wrote, and also read biographies of him. I was fascinated by his experiences in World War I, which includes the loss of life of some of his very, very close friends. I think he writes about that a lot in ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings.’

I want to be strong enough to cope with the roles, but I don’t want to be cast as the guy that takes his shirt off.

I try to keep at a non-obsessive level of fitness. It’s not about looking great, it’s about just feeling good. So I do a lot of yoga. Bikram just blows my mind. It’s mental as well as physical; if I don’t train, I get very depressed.

I can’t bear shopping. I can choose clothes for my characters, but not for myself. I’ve got no dress sense. Or I’ve lost it.

I’m probably not very good at rom-com, being funny on demand; I’ll leave that to the comedians.

Personally, I’m not interested in getting more money for what I do; I’m just interested in more money being put into the production.

Tolkien was, I believe, writing about his experience in the First and Second World Wars, where he would have spent a lot of time without any female contact. He was part of the fellowship of men who went to war, and I think, really, that’s what he’s writing about.

I kind of got lost down a road of TV and film, so it’s great to come back to theatre.

When I told my mom I was going to audition for ‘The Hobbit,’ she said, ‘Well, you’ve always loved Tolkien.’ And she was right.

I think most five-foot-two people would be quite offended if they were to be called dwarves.

I want to live in Middle-earth, actually.

I’m a late developer in everything. I have a fast mind and fast metabolism, and I’m an intense worker, but in terms of life development, I’m way behind.

I come from very conservative parents, and we weren’t particularly wealthy, but we were comfortable.

I’ve become one of those actors who find it difficult to say ‘no’ when things are offered.

Since real spies are so good, you never really know what actual spying is. But I do think spying is a lot more dangerous than we are led to believe.

You fight for certain roles, and you realise they’re being filled by television and film actors, because theatre is constantly fighting for survival and they need names and faces and ticket sales.

I know what Twitter is; I don’t use it. I don’t use Facebook, so luckily, it does zero to my ego.

When you already have a following, people are more likely to employ you.

A charity donkey is where you sponsor a donkey in a sanctuary and give them three pounds a month to have some donkey nuts or something.

I was an estate agent for three years. That was pretty grim.

I’m not a massive fan of 3D. I’ve seen some good 3D, and I’ve seen quite a lot of bad 3D. I think if a film is created for the shock effect of 3D, then it’s a certain type of film that I’m not massively bothered about.

I did quite a lot of menial jobs. I was a waiter, an inventory clerk touring round properties listing cups and saucers, and a laserquest marshal.

I’ve never been that cute kid that was forgiven for being naughty.

Small, slow growth is the best I expect from an investment. I’m a real saver: frugal – like my parents.