Quotes

"Let's pretend" is one of the best parts of the job! It's the "let's pretend" side I adore, but that's not the most important. The most important thing for me as an actor is when the performance has a profound effect on the audience. What I like most of all is affecting people, I hope, for the good. I can only say that subjectively, but I hope for the good. I want to send people away from the theater, or from having seen me give a performance on television or in the camera, uplifted so that, for a while, I might have taken them out of anything that's dire and awful in their lives -- to give them some escape. I think it's really important that people can escape and have a good time, to get away from the mundane side of life.

The one thing I've always done -- been lucky enough to do -- in my career: Take on challenges. I like things that are dangerous. I like a sense of danger.

[on Alan Bates] In a sense there were two Alans. One was free and happy, and at such times he took me to meet his family in Derby, where we had lovely weekends. But at other times he was reserved and frightened, whispering to me, 'Don't say this...don't say that...'".