Quotes

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. Everyone's going from A to B in a car. Why did I leave [America]? My relationship [with Angelina Jolie] was going bad and I missed England, simple things like smells and major things like the British sense of humor.

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. I'd go anywhere to work, so long as it's worth it.

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. All you can do is look out for good scripts, and interesting people to work with.

[About his relationship with Angelina Jolie] For a while, it was a very intense relationship, very passionate, and you can never regret being involved in something like that. It was sad that it ended, but I wouldn't change a thing about it. Well, except maybe my haircut.

[on being voted 1999's coolest couple with Natalie Appleton, by Elle magazine] I thought, "This is just too funny." Then they read my name out and it was highly embarrassing.

[on playing Sherlock Holmes in Elementary (2012)] For me, there are two different things that make Sherlock Sherlock. One is, you know, within the books: Obviously, he's a genius with an attention to detail, his ravenous hunger for all aspects of knowledge that might feed into his work. But the major thing that makes him Sherlock is his relationship with Watson -- their friendship. For me, that, I guess, is the biggest side, the more interesting side than the genius.

[on his friend Benedict Cumberbatch] He sent me some messages, when he'd first seen the show, and it was really, really nice. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have sent me a text message saying, "You suck!" He's been very supportive, the whole way.