I’ve always wanted to play a spy, because it is the ultimate acting exercise. You are never what you seem.

With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it’s just not acting. It’s lying

For me acting is about conveying a story – creating something that affects people.

It’s the actors who are prepared to make fools of themselves who are usually the ones who come to mean something to the audience.

In the end you’re just playing a role.

Sharpe is my favorite role of all that I’ve played. He’s a very complex character. He knows that he’s a good soldier, but he will always have to fight the prejudice of aristocratic officers because of his rough working-class upbringing. On the battlefield, he’s full of confidence – but off it, he is unsure, a bit shy and ill at ease.

My family thought the fascination with acting was just another fad.

Lord of the Rings was something I always wanted to do. I read the book when I was about 25, and I was always hoping if it was ever made into a feature film that I would be involved in some way. And then I finally got it, and I was over the moon. It was fantastic news.

If you have a very good concept of your character, you can snap into it.

I’m proud of Lord of the Rings. I think it’s a once in a lifetime role, and a once in a lifetime film. It was made with so much care and passion and meticulous detail and everybody was so behind it.