Richard C. Armitage

“Someone told me a woman bought a dog so she could take it to the same park where I go running, but I'm hoping that's rubbish.”

“I do believe in pensions.”

“When you already have a following, people are more likely to employ you.”

“The interesting roles have only come since I got into my 30s. But I didn't know that was going to happen.”

“Once you don't smile on film, they say, 'Let's have that bloke who doesn't smile.'”

“In school, I was a beanpole with a nose I hadn't grown into.”

“I'm not much of a show-off.”

“A full beard looks cool.”

“I feel like my imagination was crafted by Tolkien. He seemed to tap into that childhood intrigue of secret doors and hidden worlds.”

“Since real spies are so good, you never really know what actual spying is. But I do think spying is a lot more dangerous than we are led to believe.”

“People get to know me slowly and over the course of time. I'll probably still be a newcomer when I'm 60.”

“To survive in a profession like this, you have to have absolute discipline and commitment, and I did not quite have it for musical theater.”

“I've become one of those actors who find it difficult to say 'no' when things are offered.”

“Often you find the character through the things they say. How they talk about other people, how they describe themselves - which is very rare.”

“The narrative that Peter Jackson has put into 'The Battle of the Five Armies,' it stands alone as a film. Rather than just finishing off the story, it's like a whole new adventure all of its own. I'm very excited about it.”

“I wouldn't even dare to sing like Ed Sheeran.”

“There's a very strong force in Tolkien's characters.”

“As an actor, you're like, 'Yeah, I want that phone call from Peter Jackson saying, 'You're my first choice for Thorin Oakenshield.'”

“I went into musical theatre, which I'm not really cut out for - I'm not as skilled at it as other people.”

“My mum will not speak above a low whisper in public because she doesn't want to draw attention to herself.”