Ben - Sir Ben - is always a lift. He's always interesting to watch, so you just try and remember your lines.

My parents were working in a hospital in Memphis. But I didn't live there for any length of time that I remember. The first thing I remember is the town in Mississippi that I live in now, Charleston.

I've been living with myself all of my life, so I know all of me. So when I watch me, all I see is me. It's boring.

I grew up in the suburbs, so I remember arriving at Waterloo and seeing Big Ben and the coloured lights on top of the Southbank Centre and thinking, 'Wow!'

Still, it can be more effective to accomplish what you need to accomplish with the minimum effort. Watch Anthony Hopkins. He doesn't appear to be doing anything. He is so still that you can't see him working, but you are drawn into his character through his very stillness.

It was like the house was breathing. You could actually hear the roof creak and moan and try to lift off.