I Wanted To Be A Journalist, I

In Life, If You Have An Enthusiasm For What They Call 'good Manners,' Sometimes People Don't Quite Believe You. I've Had That Once Or Twice Before, Where They Assume You Can't Be For Real.

Opening A Play Is Just Tough. The Idea That Actors Are Weirdly Protected From It Is A Myth. If You Imagine Yourself Having To Spend Two And A Bit Hours Cooking Bolognaise, Remembering A Whole Major Work By David Hare And Speaking It At The Correct Moment Between Chopping Carrots And Stirring The Onions In Front Of An Audience - The Normal Human Response Is 'please, Can I Go To The Airport?'

The Job Is The Same - To Attempt To Make It Sound Like You've Never Said It Before And As If It's Just Occurred To You. And That's The Same Whether You're On Camera Or Whether You're On Stage In A Room Full Of People.

When A Movie Is Called 'searingly Honest,' It's Almost Invariably Grim And Demonstrates How Bad Things Can Get.

I'm Lucky That I Get To Play A Wide Variety Of Parts.