In the end, there's something of the puritan work ethic about me that roles really must sustain me on an intellectual level.

We are not telling Tudor history; we are creating ' Wolf Hall ' from novels, which are already a rereading of Tudor history.

For me the rehearsal period is the part I most enjoy. It's the creating of the story.

I've always had a 'Work hard, play hard' attitude to life - I still do - but sometimes you get involved in something that needs a calm, methodical approach.

You know what it's like to feel anxious - it's horrible feeling anxious. It's stressful having that feeling, having butterflies in your stomach, even for a day, and you don't sleep at night.

I think people like to be scared. I think people like tension and suspense in a movie.

You can't do something that is morally vacuous or dysfunctional and then write it off saying, 'It wasn't my film, I was just doing a job in it.'

People need revelation, and then they need resolution.

My heroes were all in the theatre.

I think you can't be really posh and be an interesting actor. I'm a bit of a posh rough.

Temperamentally I'm not a natural producer, because I don't have the patience.

Now, he'd loved money for money's sake. He loved the feel of it, not only in his hands, but also in his heart.

I don't want to have to save your life, ' Chord says softly. 'Not when you can do it.

I ought to warn you, dear, he can get rather wild when he’s hungry

I've read your summary.""And?""It's not incompetent."Be still, my heart, so I don't faint from such faint phrase. "Did you expect it to be written in crayon?

I was on the high school track team, believe it or not, and played baseball, poorly but passionately.

I'm trying to give people an idea of what black looks like and what white looks like before I introduce them to gray.

Mental stains can not be removed by time, nor washed away by any waters. [Lat., Animi labes nec diuturnitate vanescere nec omnibus ullis elui potest.]

The element of obsession is terribly important for an artist.

Look slowly and hard at something subtle and small.

And voices singing out of empty cisterns and exhausted wells.