Name one actor or director you've never worked with that you'd love to work with, past or present, living or dead.
Paul Thomas Anderson as a director. And as an actor, maybe I guess they kind of go together, Joaquin Phoenix ... I remember I was auditioning for a role once and the director referenced Paul Thomas Anderson performances, and he said, there's always one character particularly who's giving a massive performance. It's always massive, but it's bang on. I think that sort of theatricality is something that I find really inspiring in terms of performances, whether it's Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master" or Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood."
When someone's doing something quite big and quite theatrical, but it is absolutely truthful and somehow just right, I think that's amazing. And to work with the director that could help bring that out of you and encourage that would be amazing. I always just think his films... I haven't seen all of his films, but from the films I have seen, they just look so beautiful. It's proper cinema.
Do you have a favorite film of all time?
I think my go-to is "Gladiator" for a number of reasons. I think again, it's so cinematic and personally, it was the first DVD that my family had as well. I remember when that transition to DVD happened and we were a bit behind a few other families in getting a DVD player. And then we got it, this double disc, and watching the "making of," I was blown away by how they made it. I was as fascinated with that as I was all the battle sequences, particularly. And the music as well. The music is just stunning as well.
Is there a role that you wish you could play, past or present?
Not really. Because I think all the roles that I admire greatly, they've all been done by someone, and they've been done in a way that only that person could do them ... And also all the things which I've had the best time on, I could never have dreamt them up before that. So, no. I'm afraid I don't really have an answer for that one.
