I think the only directing I'd be any good at is theatre directing. It's the only thing I can see my...
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I think the only directing I'd be any good at is theatre directing. It's the only thing I can see myself doing.
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Once you've switched that switch [commitment], then, though you notice that other people are great, ...
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Once you've switched that switch [commitment], then, though you notice that other people are great, you're just not interested.
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When I wear jeans I want to look like a man, not a child.
When I wear jeans I want to look like a man, not a child.
I've been doing interviews for years, and in all that time, I've virtually never read one and gone, ...
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I've been doing interviews for years, and in all that time, I've virtually never read one and gone, 'Yep, factually and tonally that's exactly what happened.' Pretty much never.
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There are lots of things that keep me awake at night, but work isn't one of them. I mean, no-one's g...
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There are lots of things that keep me awake at night, but work isn't one of them. I mean, no-one's going to die if someone doesn't like what I do. So I don't feel a great pressure.
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I think what 'The Hobbit' and Middle-earth deal in are quite universal and timeless themes of honor ...
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I think what 'The Hobbit' and Middle-earth deal in are quite universal and timeless themes of honor and love and friendship... so they're things that do resonate with people.
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Like any friendship or marriage, familiarity breeds more contempt, and love, and everything.
Like any friendship or marriage, familiarity breeds more contempt, and love, and everything.
I think the hardest part about anything you do for 18 months is just keeping yourself together for 1...
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I think the hardest part about anything you do for 18 months is just keeping yourself together for 18 months.
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Name anything - high-definition TV, computer obsolescence - and I'm pretty much annoyed by it.
Name anything - high-definition TV, computer obsolescence - and I'm pretty much annoyed by it.
I value being able to go into a record shop and people leaving me alone.
I value being able to go into a record shop and people leaving me alone.
In London we give ourselves a pat on the back, rightly, for not killing one another, for our prejudi...
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In London we give ourselves a pat on the back, rightly, for not killing one another, for our prejudice being subtle rather than lethal.
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I love eating. I mean, I really, really love eating.
I love eating. I mean, I really, really love eating.
Most people have a passive relationship with music and clothes, with culture. But music was my first...
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Most people have a passive relationship with music and clothes, with culture. But music was my first contact with anything creative. Music is it, as far as I'm concerned.
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I don't want to be poor, of course. But I try not to make that the guiding force behind whether I ch...
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I don't want to be poor, of course. But I try not to make that the guiding force behind whether I choose to do something or not.
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If I could get bands to come and play in my house, I'd like that. I've never been to a festival. I'm...
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If I could get bands to come and play in my house, I'd like that. I've never been to a festival. I'm a creature of habit, mashed-potato comfort, I like rugs. Our sofa's squishy. Maybe too squishy - it's hard to get up sometimes.
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Sherlock (2010) is one of the biggest things I will do, ever - we could never have predicted that le...
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Sherlock (2010) is one of the biggest things I will do, ever - we could never have predicted that level of insanity around the series.
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I'm geek royalty now.
I'm geek royalty now.
I don't write anything off without reading a script, and if it's a good one, I'll consider it, wheth...
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I don't write anything off without reading a script, and if it's a good one, I'll consider it, whether it's for $20 or a million dollars.
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Your slippers last a lot longer in your bedroom. On a film set, they do get very scuffed up.
Your slippers last a lot longer in your bedroom. On a film set, they do get very scuffed up.
Humor is - how do I say this without sounding pompous - it's a huge part of my life.
Humor is - how do I say this without sounding pompous - it's a huge part of my life.
Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay and Al Pacino made me want to act. I've always been interested in men w...
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Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay and Al Pacino made me want to act. I've always been interested in men with a vulnerable side.
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Some people have that roar in their head, but I'm not sure I ever did. That live-fast-die-young thin...
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Some people have that roar in their head, but I'm not sure I ever did. That live-fast-die-young thing. No one wants it really - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin - it's not good. I want to live with Amanda till I'm 70. I was never the kid that went all the way with naughtiness, never got caned or in serious trouble. I always knew when to pull back.
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To my mind there are not enough things that show the Nazis as human, as smart people, charismatic pe...
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To my mind there are not enough things that show the Nazis as human, as smart people, charismatic people, who are not inhuman naturally. But who are able to be fantastically inhuman when they choose to be.
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I like uncertainty in roles, and I like uncertainty in art, really.
I like uncertainty in roles, and I like uncertainty in art, really.
I'm not posh or common, I'm in between.
I'm not posh or common, I'm in between.
I like the quiet life sometimes. I also love a bustling press conference sometimes as well. I love a...
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I like the quiet life sometimes. I also love a bustling press conference sometimes as well. I love a 600 meter red carpet.
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I've got a stag weekend coming up and I've said I'm not doing anything more than a few drinks. I won...
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I've got a stag weekend coming up and I've said I'm not doing anything more than a few drinks. I won't have it. I'll go home and watch Antiques Roadshow.
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Acting is the only thing I'm even vaguely good at and acting is something that I think I do know abo...
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Acting is the only thing I'm even vaguely good at and acting is something that I think I do know about.
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Any pigeonhole is something to be rebelled against.
Any pigeonhole is something to be rebelled against.
I would wear a full-length cape if I could get away with it - I do love a good swirl in a fog.
I would wear a full-length cape if I could get away with it - I do love a good swirl in a fog.
Why does everyone have to pretend to be stupid and not know long words?
Why does everyone have to pretend to be stupid and not know long words?
My idea of a good night out is staying in.
My idea of a good night out is staying in.
I love home. I'd rather be at home than anywhere else.
I love home. I'd rather be at home than anywhere else.
I like things that are simple, such as an alarm clock.
I like things that are simple, such as an alarm clock.
I can spot someone with similar fashion sense to me a mile off.
I can spot someone with similar fashion sense to me a mile off.
If you are a plumber, you can work on a shed, or you can work on a mansion. It's just scale.
If you are a plumber, you can work on a shed, or you can work on a mansion. It's just scale.
Half of us are partly German! Half our language and culture, generally, in Anglo-Saxon terms, is Ger...
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Half of us are partly German! Half our language and culture, generally, in Anglo-Saxon terms, is German.
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I don't want to sound like a grumpy old man, but nothing winds me up more than people saying, 'Chill...
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I don't want to sound like a grumpy old man, but nothing winds me up more than people saying, 'Chill out' to me when I'm irritated!
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My mum was Labour-voting, but wanted us to know we were important. Basically, everyone's equal, but ...
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My mum was Labour-voting, but wanted us to know we were important. Basically, everyone's equal, but you, my children, are a bit better.
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I did a play once where a reviewer said, Martin Freeman is too nice to play a bad guy.' And I though...
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I did a play once where a reviewer said, Martin Freeman is too nice to play a bad guy.' And I thought: 'Well, bad guys aren't always bad guys, you know?' When I see someone play the obvious villain, I know it's false.
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I think the world needs to see more of my face.
I think the world needs to see more of my face.
I don't think anyone looks into their family tree and expects it to come up smelling of roses.
I don't think anyone looks into their family tree and expects it to come up smelling of roses.
I'm always interested with other actors in what their process is, and are they still interested in a...
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I'm always interested with other actors in what their process is, and are they still interested in acting, as opposed to being a star.
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Being a mod is more of a sensibility than a style.
Being a mod is more of a sensibility than a style.
There was very little drama and performance at my school, so I've never forgotten the people who did...
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There was very little drama and performance at my school, so I've never forgotten the people who did encourage me and I've thought whether it would be a good idea to even get in touch with them and just say thanks, because they really opened a door for me mentally and emotionally - that's really important.
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I think people just like seeing friendship. I think people like seeing people who just drive each ot...
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I think people just like seeing friendship. I think people like seeing people who just drive each other up the wall, but at same time, can't live without each other.
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I'm a big believer that life changes as much as you want it to.
I'm a big believer that life changes as much as you want it to.
I am a fan of the Coen brothers. I'm not a fanatic. I'm a big admirer. They create unique worlds, an...
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I am a fan of the Coen brothers. I'm not a fanatic. I'm a big admirer. They create unique worlds, and there is a real atmosphere to their films. Not everyone can get that. That's a massive part of their appeal: you can recognize them. Like all the great directors or artists, you know it when you see it.
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What makes Shakespeare eternal is his grasp of psychology. He knew how to nail stuff about us as hum...
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What makes Shakespeare eternal is his grasp of psychology. He knew how to nail stuff about us as human beings.
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With superheroes and comics and fantasy and Sci-Fi being absolutely the popular currency in cinema, ...
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With superheroes and comics and fantasy and Sci-Fi being absolutely the popular currency in cinema, it's like people have said in endless magazines, it's the revenge of the geeks and all that. There's some truth in that.
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People misunderstand me.
People misunderstand me.
When people bully us, we are complicit in it in some way. We do allow it to happen to some extent.
When people bully us, we are complicit in it in some way. We do allow it to happen to some extent.
I'm afraid I don't have a very pragmatic or unromantic view of props. I don't imbue them with any gr...
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I'm afraid I don't have a very pragmatic or unromantic view of props. I don't imbue them with any great sense of mystery or anything.
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I wanted to be an actor because I saw Dog Day Afternoon (1975) you know what I mean?
I wanted to be an actor because I saw Dog Day Afternoon (1975) you know what I mean?
I'm one of the few people I know who believes in God.
I'm one of the few people I know who believes in God.
I've always loved Christmas and that's not really gone away from me from being a child to now. It's ...
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I've always loved Christmas and that's not really gone away from me from being a child to now. It's always a magical time and I'm unashamed in my love for Christmas.
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I don't think it was a surprise that I ended up as an actor, and it was anything but a disappointmen...
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I don't think it was a surprise that I ended up as an actor, and it was anything but a disappointment.
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On Billy Bob Thornton: I love watching Billy Bob, just as a punter anyway. I like his work. But work...
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On Billy Bob Thornton: I love watching Billy Bob, just as a punter anyway. I like his work. But working with him is really easy and really straight-forward. He's immediately good. He doesn't have to work up to it. He doesn't make your life difficult. He listens. He's a very good listener, in terms of his acting.
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I've got an overly developed sense of what selling out is, and I of course worry about it too much.
I've got an overly developed sense of what selling out is, and I of course worry about it too much.
I'm not particularly affable in real life, I have to tell you. I've got that side to me, of course, ...
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I'm not particularly affable in real life, I have to tell you. I've got that side to me, of course, but that's not all I am.
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I think I'm less gloomy than I used to be - I've got a very supportive other half.
I think I'm less gloomy than I used to be - I've got a very supportive other half.
I'm not a practicing Catholic or I wouldn't be living unwed with a woman, and I don't think all poof...
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I'm not a practicing Catholic or I wouldn't be living unwed with a woman, and I don't think all poofs are going to hell, and I don't think everyone who's had an abortion is damned, most of my friends are atheists and I understand atheism, I get it, but I happen to be a theist. I believe in our answerableness to something else.
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God, no. I don't do any of that shit [partying with celebrities]. I've got a stag weekend coming up ...
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God, no. I don't do any of that shit [partying with celebrities]. I've got a stag weekend coming up and I've said I'm not doing anything more than a few drinks. I won't have it. I'll go home and watch Antiques Roadshow (1997).
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I hate the fact that so much of our life is computerized rather than mechanized.
I hate the fact that so much of our life is computerized rather than mechanized.
Disappointment is an endless wellspring of comedy inspiration.
Disappointment is an endless wellspring of comedy inspiration.
I don't think it was a surprise that I ended up as an actor, and it was anything but a disappointmen...
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I don't think it was a surprise that I ended up as an actor, and it was anything but a disappointment. My parents gave me the knowledge that reading isn't a bad thing, and admitting to liking a painting doesn't make you an arse-bandit. And that wouldn't have been a problem either.
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I have a very extreme state of mind. Things are very black or very white.
I have a very extreme state of mind. Things are very black or very white.
I've always been attracted to darkness.
I've always been attracted to darkness.