It was such an interesting character and the film really explored his friendship with Bond and how it all went wrong, so it was a very personal journey for both characters.

I'm proud of Lord of the Rings. I think it's a once in a lifetime role, and a once in a lifetime film. It was made with so much care and passion and meticulous detail and everybody was so behind it.

Listen to people and treat people as you find them. There's an inherent goodness in most people. Don't pre-judge people - that was me Mam's advice anyway.

I sometimes find that playing the bad guy, or villains, or psychopaths tend to be much more psychologically rewarding. And you can really push it, you can push the limits, and get away with it.

If you have a very good concept of your character, you can snap into it.

My family thought the fascination with acting was just another fad.

Lord of the Rings was just so much enjoyment. It was over about the space of a year that I was filming. It's one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done, so emotional.

I'd been trying for a while to get parts that weren't just the English bad guy, so it was quite refreshing to be playing someone who was a compassionate, decent guy.

I'm still Sean that me mates went to school with, not Sean the film star. And that's the way I prefer to be.

To be honest, you have to do a big Hollywood film to get enough money to do a good independent film!

I had no intention of being an actor. I was quite good at it. I was pretty capable at other things but never any good at anything.

In daylight and up close, he was merciless, all smiles and freckles, the brightest, boldest flame a moth could wish for.

Your relevance starts the very moment you start solving people's problems

Being judgmental is a form of attack keeping others off balance.

Some of my oldest friends are actors. But that's not the only place my friends come from.

I've got the courage to apply our conservative principles. I can't do it alone. With your help, with God's grace, we can save the idea of America before it's too late.

It’s not about how much you sleep. It’s what you do while you’re awake.

How can the heart travel to God, when it is chained by its desires?

If we understood the world, we would realize that there is a logic of harmony underlying its manifold apparent dissonances.

When all candles be out, all cats be grey.

Direct your mind where you want it to travel instead of always going for the ride.