Quotes

[on his role in Downton Abbey (2010)] It's a dream job because it's completely the other side of the spectrum, particularly as it carries on. My character gets nastier.

[on kissing Charlie Cox in Downton Abbey (2010)] When you're kissing a woman and you want it to look realistic, you're thinking, 'Am I taking advantage of her? Is her boyfriend going to think I'm over-stepping the mark? Whereas when you are kissing a man, those thoughts don't cross your mind. I'm more scared of it looking false, so I went for it fully to make it look real and hopefully I've achieved that.

Working on Downton Abbey (2010) is amazing, but there's an ensemble cast of between 18 and 21 actors. With 'Love Life,' there are two couples and a few other key characters. As a smaller unit, you've got to take more responsibility - at the same time, you can have more ownership of the direction it's going in.

The reason I'm an actor and am trying to make my way in drama is to move people, to affect people, to gain a response - so these people who come up to you in the street are your audience.

I'm a working class lad. So at 25, and with no-one in our family having any theatrical inclination, when I said, 'I'm going to scratch all that and become an actor,' I may as well have said I was going to be a Premiership footballer for the chance I'd have.

I can't watch myself on screen without dying a little bit inside. And there are lots of moments when I think, 'What am I doing as an actor? I can't act!'

I would like to do theatre because it scares me, and I think you should do things that scare you.

The devil always has the better tunes!

My dad doesn't watch 'Coronation Street.' But my mum is a massive fan. I'd like to think my dad will watch it for a few token episodes, as I'm in it.

Most actors will tell you that villains are the most interesting to play.

I went to Huddersfield University Business School. That's where I learned my trade.

I got into acting for the different scenarios and roles and meeting different people.

Before 'Coronation Street,' I was a jobbing actor, and after it, I'm a jobbing actor again.

You don't buy evil characters lattes. That's not normal behavior.

Sometimes people can be guilty of not working at relationships and if it's not working, oof, that's it.

You know if something is good because you remember the lines because it is written so well. The rhythm of the speech is spot on.

If I had a comfort blanket, I wouldn't have been as passionate and driven.

I've swam with great white sharks.

Being in 'Coronation Street' is only going to make me a better actor.

There's definitely a wave of Brits doing great work on American television, and I wouldn't mind being one of them.

Obviously, I play a villain in Downton Abbey (2010). As an actor, you want to get a variety of roles, so to be offered the part of Joe, it was perfect.

I think because of my background - I went through university and did an academic career and fell into acting - I've never had a game plan for my career because I got into it quite ad hoc.

My girlfriend is a great support, and I've got a big circle of mates who keep my feet on the ground.

Because you've done the horrible jobs, it gives you an even grittier determination to succeed.

My mom and dad put my brother and sister through university and they were very keen for us to have an academic background just to give us a chance.

Beverly Hills is too intimidating. Everyone's got lovely teeth, so you don't want to smile. Everyone's ripped, so you start working out at 4 in the morning and eating egg white omelets.

When people accuse me of being really posh, I think, 'Hang on a minute - no, I'm not!'

Particularly with internships, you have to work for a year with no money. How on Earth are you going to finance that?

People identify with being heartbroken. We've all been heartbroken, haven't we? I've been dumped, and it feels horrible.

If you rile a tiger, he's going to show his claws.

[Downton Abbey (2010) characters] Tom and O'Brien always smoke while they scheme.] Yeah, smokers always bond outside. You can't smoke indoors. But I'm not advocating smoking. "Build bonds through smoking, it will enhance your life." I'm not fucking saying that.

[Thomas [in Downton Abbey (2010)] smokes in a very dastardly way. Is that how you normally smoke?] I don't smoke! My smoking was terrible in the first year, but by season two I was getting better. There was a scene where I took it so deep, I said five lines and smoke was still coming out my mouth.

[Joanne Froggatt says that the upstairs actors play Wink Murder during their downtime. What do the downstairs actors do?] We're far crazier. We have break-dance and body-popping competitions on the big servants' table. Jim Carter, he's an amazing breaker. We're like, "Go, Carson. Go, Carson."