Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
It takes a lot to shock me.
I'm not really the cool dude at all.
I always know I can die at any moment.
Some people can handle fame, some can't.
I'm a pretty happy person, to be honest with you.
I'd go anywhere to work, so long as it's worth it.
You don't sign up to 'Trainspotting' expecting glamour.
I've never taken myself too seriously, I'm not into that.
I'm not great... in large groups of people, but I'm not shy anymore.
I find that quite enjoyable, trying to see the downsides of someone.
I like to play different types roles, but I'd like to do a comedy next.
I am constantly disappointing people up in Scotland by not being Scottish!
I've always been, since I was a little kid, and my son is quite observant, too.
I spent a couple of months just riding a bike doing my own training in the streets.
You're always looking for good scripts and when they're not always forthcoming you go mad.
Computers creating art is an upsetting concept mostly because of what it means about humans.
You're trying to bring a character to an audience, and tell stories. That's what we're all trying do.
Attention to detail - Sherlock certainly has that, and my memory is pretty good - but not as good as his.
I used a bike in London and that's it. I learnt a lot about biking, and really got into. Now I cycle regularly.
I don't want to talk about the specifics of other people's performances compared with my own. I'd never do that.
When you're shooting 20-odd episodes in a season, the last thing you want is for each script to be the same tone.
I try to avoid talking about my personal life, but I certainly don't get angry about it - I just don't talk about it.
I believe in Danny Boyle. I really do. I know that he's not going to pull the trigger on something if it's not right.
If people know too much about you, I think you become a little less interesting as an actor - your job is to fool people.
It's very strange to become a character: the lines get blurred, and you start to sort of, I don't know, take it home too much?
I'm glad I don't live in Primrose Hill any more. I couldn't even walk through the park. You never invite that kind of attention.
I really respect the world that Arthur Conan Doyle created and the way that that has been able to be reinterpreted over and over again.
I consider myself really lucky and I always have done. My approach is that if I know I'm relaxed and happy, then I will do my best work.
Being part of 'Natural Nylon' is a great way to have an influence on the films that get out there. I love films and it gives me an input.
If I thought of myself as a movie star, I'd be an idiot. I don't know anyone who thinks like that. I don't even know movie stars who think like that.
Vampires are immortal, you can do whatever you want, and get away with it. And there's the seduction part of course, sex is a big part of the vampire thing.
For me, the most satisfying time to work with people, and time when it really works, is when you work with directors that are into the truth of any sort of situation.
Some kids are good at math, some kids can run, and acting was an interest of mine. Because I knew you could do it for a living I decided, that's what I'm going to do.
The whole thing about the way I approach work is to be surprised by an opportunity when it comes up. So I have no idea what I will be doing next, and I kind of like that.
The whole point of being an actor is to get satisfaction out of a role - unless you're just vain about celebrity. You're always looking for the one thing that will surprise you.
The whole point of being an actor is to get satisfaction out of a role -- unless you're just vain about celebrity. You're always looking for the one thing that will surprise you.
I really wouldn't want to live in America. I found New York claustrophobic and dirty. I missed England when I was there, simple things like smells and the British sense of humor.
When you're playing a character, you don't really want to have an opinion about where you're going to end up. Otherwise, you can't really stay in the moment and in your character.
If youre serious about what youre doing, youve got to keep your head and follow your instinct. Maybe you wont reach the same dizzy heights as others, but you will get something back.
If you're serious about what you're doing, you've got to keep your head and follow your instinct. Maybe you won't reach the same dizzy heights as others, but you will get something back.
New York and LA are both great places to visit, but I wouldn't want to live in either of them now. I find New York extremely claustrophobic and dirty. LA is quite a nice place. But there's no hustle and bustle, no street life.
It sounds so incredibly selfish, but you just can't earn the same money doing theater as you can doing television and film. I know that's awful, but you get a mortgage and a family, and suddenly, paying that seems quite important.
Even when you're producing difficult material and you get emotional, after it you feel good; you feel like you've done a good job, or had an emotional release. I've always enjoyed that, but you go home and think, that was a good day's work, and you move on.
That really sets great directors apart from good directors: their ability to make you feel like you matter, even if your part is much smaller. That's one thing I found with most of the great directors I worked with: They all have that skill. Not everyone takes the time.
There is nothing, not a thing, like the process of creating a character for the stage - you can't get it anywhere else. Unless you're totally method and spend six months living your life like your character for a film, the theater is the place to get that intense acting experience.
I think so many men have this really sharp feeling of being a disappointment in their mid-forties. There's probably something chemical about it - the drop of testosterone, the fact that you don't feel the same way physically. It's a real thing. You do tend to feel like a disappointment.
I think Danny Boyle's got it in his head that we all still look too young (to do a 'Trainspotting' sequel.) But, I mean, I don't look like anyone I play, anyways, so I don't really know where that comes from. Because, you know, you change yourself for the roles. I'm actually not Scottish, either!
Theater is just so much more satisfying than film or television just because you deliver the whole thing from start to finish in one evening, and you can tell if people have enjoyed it or not. That's great to do every night to go in front of a full room of people and tell the story. There's nothing like that really.
I dont think any actor has the luxury of knowing exactly what scripts are going to turn out well and what ones arent. It would be wonderful to have that particular skill, and maybe people like Tom Cruise have it more than most, but you go into each project hoping that a good, if not great, film will come out the other end.
I don't think any actor has the luxury of knowing exactly what scripts are going to turn out well and what ones aren't. It would be wonderful to have that particular skill, and maybe people like Tom Cruise have it more than most, but you go into each project hoping that a good, if not great, film will come out the other end.