You'd never play Hamlet if you started worrying about who's played it before you.

There's always a concern as an actor that you'll be boring unless your character is swinging from a chandelier.

As much as I long for a sort of security and consistency sometimes, I do enjoy sort of being busted around. I really don't know what's happening sometimes next week, let alone this year.

I love TV and I love making films and I love doing plays. I feel very lucky to be able to do all three.

I think people ought to do what they feel useful at the time. If I do things because I ought to do them, I switch off.

I wouldn't want to leave it so long before doing a play again, I get very stolid and sluggish if I do too much telly.

I don't feel like a romantic lead; I guess I feel more like a character actor.

The actor in me would always like to be more dashing, or slimmer, or have nicer hair.

Apart from earning an awful lot of money, why would you go to Hollywood?

You never know how films are going to do and it is daunting if I think about it.

I was quite a shy child. I would get terribly nervous and throw up before my birthday party. And then I would be fine. I feel the same now. I get nervous, then it's fine.

Of course the servants had chosen not to follow me

n order to capture someone's attention, you must allow them to have the mental and emotional space to let you in.

Were you watching me sleep? Because I thought we agreed that's creepy.

Lightning is the shorthand of a storm, and tells of chaos.

I cannot take every case that people ask me to take.

I am neither the handsomest nor the richest nor the most powerful, but I've had the greatest women in the world.

The right to free speech is important but it isn't as important as 'we're all human beings together, let's find solutions together.'

I'm confident in some of the things that I wear, regardless of what other people are wearing.

Now that the Emperor has accepted the Potsdam Declaration, we must lay down our arms. Obeying the Emperor's order, we shall not fight. We must keep peace and order and we shall not make any trouble.

In the blink of an eye everything can change. So forgive often and love with all your heart. You may not have that chance again.