I've Been Acting For 25

The Worst Thing That An Actor Can Do Is Go Into Any Project With A Lack Of Respect For The Material. You Can Have An Opinion About It, But You Have To Respect Yourself In Doing It.

When I Was Younger I Was Always Big; I Was A Fat Boy At School. I Had An Early Growth Spurt, And When I Went To Secondary School I Was Tall Enough To Be A Policeman.

I Think, Because Of My Background, Which Is Slightly More Exotic Than The Average British Actor, I Think, I Sort Of Occupied This Little Niche Quite Early On Of Playing The Foreign Guy. It Started Way Back At Drama School, I Played An Eastern European Heavy, I Played The Russian Mobster. And I Have Done All Those Different Ethnic Roles, And I Think It's Partly Because Of My Look, I Think I've Got An Adaptable Sort Of Nondescript Ethnicity, Which You Can't Quite Pin Down, But It's Enough To Kind Of Get A Flavor Of Something.

I've Been Acting For 25 Years, Living Out Of Suitcases On Theater Tours Or Film Locations.

There Are Many Actors Who Have Inspired Me: Spencer Tracy For His Incredible Elegance And, Of Course, Cary Grant. But, There's Also An Italian Actor I Admire A Great Deal: Alberto Sordi.