I have been acting for 32 years now and I feel so lucky to be able to have done exactly what I wanted to do.

I have sleepless nights before press days.

I'd been gearing up to working in theatre since coming out of drama school, but it was an exciting time for TV drama - it was the birth of Channel 4, and Brookside was very cutting-edge at the time.

I like to think I'm a listener, and I'm fascinated by observing people - I suppose you just lock that in.

I think you know what you're up against when you take on a piece that you know is going to involve dragging up a lot emotions - you can end up being deeply immersed in gloom.

It always interests me how obsessed people are about age.

If I want to run around a field when I'm 70, I would like to have that option.

Running gave me a focus to start looking after myself, to eat properly, and focus on building up my strength.

I always start from scratch with a character - they're never based on anyone else. You get ideas of what people look like, and I'm a great people watcher. You can draw inspiration from people.

Whatever I'm doing, I try to give it everything.

Being an actor is an extension of telling a story and I loved story telling as a child.

Except for in politics, no one likes to follow an idea without a firm base to walk on

violent storms. and beautiful smiles. both have electricity. both are equally destructive in nature.

Always bet on the underdog. They've got ambition and nothing to lose.

I like to think of the world's greatest athlete coming up to bat against me - Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, I don't care who it is - and I'm looking at him thinking, you have no chance.

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.

The fundamental issue is the moral issue.

The craftiest trickery are too short and ragged a cloak to cover a bad heart.

Because my father was often absent on naval duty, my mother suffered me to do much as I pleased

Women are a lot like ducks-they don’t like mud on their butts.

I think it's always funny when somebody thinks you're going to do something super sexy and then you don't.