Adrian Lester

“When someone of colour does something out of the ordinary in this business, we hear everyone trumpeting: 'Isn't it wonderful?' but it happens so often now that it's just not newsworthy.”

“I like to do a bit of snorkelling, diving and swimming or just hanging out on a beach.”

“It's always good to go back and remind ourselves just how earth shattering it is just to have a baby, or to lose a loved one. And every now and again, we need scripts that remind us just how powerful those moments are.”

“I find it quite hard to sum up a show that's been as much fun as 'Hustle.' The upsetting thing is the thought that I may not have this kind of experience again; working with that group of people and doing something where your energies and efforts result in a show that's truly popular.”

“I wasn't very good at school.”

“I am brilliant at not doing paperwork. I could teach a degree in procrastination.”

“I normally play characters who are dealing with an overall objective - a great 'want' in their life.”

“Producers are too ready to second-guess an audience, and they always play it very safe.”

“It's interesting, now we have these huge TVs with wonderful sound and so on at home, we're awash with wonderful dramas from so many different sources that you can sit and enjoy with family or friends, and explore characters over two years via really sharp writing.”

“Doctor Who' is a great part and I grew up with the series, but I've never done anything more than express my admiration for it.”

“An audience can feel when a comedian is confident - and then they will laugh. But if they feel at any point that the comedian is worried or not really on form, then they won't laugh. It's a sixth sense.”

“Being a dad made me really see what love was.”

“I remember my eldest daughter pulling herself up on the sofa and using it as a balance point. I was calling to her across the living room. She looked at me and wanted to come to me and she looked at the floor and was scared she might not make it, but then she toddled quickly across and fell into my arms. It was amazing. The look on her face!”

“People are having to come to terms with the question: how important is it, really, that Obama is black? Yes, skin colour is a factor, but it's about so more than that.”

“Sometimes, as an actor, you'll get to do work that's purely entertainment, and that's great.”

“With a theatre audience, the suspension of disbelief is much, much greater than on television. With television, people feel much more like they're a fly on the wall.”

“When I left Rada I didn't think about tweeting as a career move.”

“I know some actors don't want to see faces out there; they prefer to perform to a black wall. But I like knowing I'm talking to people.”

“There's been an obvious shift in that it is now uncomfortable for a white actor to black up.”

“Sometimes what you turn out may be just a performance, but sometimes what you create will change the way people think about a play, character or situation for the rest of their lives. We don't have to be happy about it - we just have to do it well. That's why acting is not a trade; it's a vocation.”