There's a huge raft of roles that actors in our culture perform, and you can see any one of about three Hamlets in a year. It's not something to be completely daunted by.

The armoury of having any academic education does not necessarily set you up for being a good or better actor.

As an actor, you are aware of how a role can seep into your real life.

I had a real yearning to make use of the opportunities I had at school. When I heard about the gap year of teaching English at a Tibetan monastery, I knew I had to do something about it really quickly, otherwise it was going to get allocated.

When you see a good horseman, you're unable to tell where the instruction is coming from. It's like telepathy.

We all want to escape our circumstances, don't we? Especially if you are an actor.