David Soul

“The most important thing is story-telling. It's as singular and old-fashioned as that.”

“People thought me a bit strange at first; a blond haired, blue-eyed Norwegian who sang Mexican folk songs, but I used it to my advantage and got a job. And so the music became my ticket to education.”

“I was born into a family of preachers.”

“Yes, your home is your castle, but it is also your identity and your possibility to be open to others.”

“Once in a while I'll get moved to do some exercise. It's something I long for but the biggest problem is bending down and putting my tennis shoes on. Once I go out I'm OK.”

“I like to eat and I love the diversity of foods.”

“I was an accidental actor. I was never formally trained.”

“I was never jailed. The fact is that I was arrested, but I went into a diversion programme, and by that time I'd already begun working in what was called anger management. It was a painful and awful moment.”

“It's only when gravity starts to take over you begin to think about your body.”

“Being on the move all the time is draining, but the rewards make up for it.”

“I went into acting because I had to make a good living. I had a child now and I had to support him any way I could... I wasn't happy, but I wasn't unhappy. I was just doing what I had to do to survive.”

“My father was my main influence. He was a preacher, but he was also a history and political science teacher, and since he was my hero, I wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a teacher.”

“If these theatres didn't exist, the tradition of British theatre would cease to exist.”

“Music always came first. I never set out to be an actor.”

“At only 20 years old I got married. I was still a kid myself, but in those times, if you got someone pregnant, you had no choice but to get married. So I left school and the only thing I could do was sing.”

“I believe that a parent's role is to provide a path or opportunity for their children.”

“It's important to move the theatre into the 21st Century.”

“A job is a very healthy thing to do.”

“Sometimes I feel an obligation to be accessible as a personality, but for me the driving force since the beginning has always been good work, taking risks, trying new things. If the door opens, go through it. Always go forwards.”

“To deal with the stark reality of having hit or hurt a woman or child, to deal with the initial responsibility you have not to do that and the knowledge you did do it, can be incredibly hard.”