I have a Woody Allen Jewish attitude to life: that it's all going to be disastrous. That it hasn't all been that way is simply down to some random quirk of fate.

Life is just more comfortable if you're honest and open about everything. I spent so many years being in the closet about one thing or another.

The effort of learning. It's the same when you approach any new skill or technique, from a dance step to driving a car. The effort of learning stops you, at first, from doing it well.

Most of my career has been spent with the RSC doing Shakespeare, and the thing you learn from Shakespeare is that his historical plays don't bear anything other than a basic resemblance to history.

What drew me to acting in the first place was disguise.

I can feel the power of the words doing the work. Must trust language more.

It's good for actors to confront those things we have to act: panic, pain and death.

I don't believe in an afterlife.

I feel so sorry for younger actors who aren't able to have the opportunities that I had, starting out in repertory theatre. It's really tough on young actors now.

When I'm painting and drawing I only do people. Acting is obviously portraiture - and writing is as well.

The whole of my acting career is a bit of a mystery to me.

As long as you hate, there will be people to hate.

With Dad, he was the ultimate wildlife warrior, and we admired him more than anything.

People need to remember we are the governing party because we have diversity of opinion in our party. We're not pure. We have moderates and we have more progressives.

Vee scowled at him. She is famous for that scowl. It's a look that does everything but audibly hiss.

Go Fast! Go Hard! Finish! And Win the Day!

I grew up with art from the innocent age of ten - with art, but with no sense of identity.

Anyone with a little computer experience knows that anything can be copied bit-by-bit with the right equipment.

I have very human responses to things, so I had to learn to just be still.

chromosomal dance oh, heavenly happenstance rare creation, you -Marcus (Poetry Spam #22)

Try to begin things you feel you can do. To begin is enough-there is a boldness in beginning. And in boldness lies genius and magic.