Lennie James

“When I was growing up and watching 'The Sweeney,' the notion of police officers being an inch away from the villains that they're chasing was commonplace.”

“I don't remember when I didn't know about Martin Luther King.”

“One of the things I liked about playing Tony Gates in 'Line of Duty' was that I don't think he gave much thought to justifying his actions until he was under investigation.”

“I particular enjoy the crime writer, Walter Ellis Mosley. He does a series of Chandler-esque detective stories.”

“I will say that when I first came out to the States to work on 'Jericho,' that was the only time that I've ever been frightened about a job, because in America they tell stories over such a long time, and I was petrified that I'd get bored.”

“My foster mother wanted to create a family home. For me, she had made a place that I felt I could always go back to, and that was what she was trying to do for these kids.”

“The Internet links me to friends and family around the world. Skype rocks!”

“Doors being closed or made harder to open is something I'm very familiar with - and I don't like it.”

“My favorite television show of all time is 'Hill Street Blues.' I think it's the show that is to television what Pele was to football or Muhammad Ali was to boxing.”

“I did a film once in the Sahara. It was pretty awe-inspiring. I remember sitting up on the roof of our hotel, watching the sun go down, and all around me, for 360 degrees, was nothing but sand. It took your breath away but also made you feel tiny.”

“When I'm playing an American, I don't play Lennie with an American accent. They're American characters who look like me, but they have different voices.”

“I'm pretty much a London boy, and it was a big enough city to try and conquer.”

“I don't usually like talking about acting or what my process is, and all those kinds of things, because I don't necessarily think it's helpful to talk about how I do my job.”

“They shut down kids' homes, for a number of reasons, and I was part of that transition into foster care. That's all well and good if it's populated by people who feel their work is paid decently and supported.”

“My thing is, I like playing guys who have a really interesting internal monologue.”

“I'm not a broad comic, but I think I can be funny and I think I make people laugh.”

“I've worked in the theater, television, and films. A five-hour TV series is certainly more time than a character I'd be playing in a film.”

“I owe 'Jericho' my whole time in America, really. It was a fantastic group of people to work with.”

“The fact that I lost my mum was horrible, and if I could change anything, I would definitely change that.”

“Partners and mothers allow men to get away with too much.”