Toby Stephens

“As an actor, the only thing you have is your instinct and your imagination.”

“I grew up in the States and Canada for a while because my mum came over in the 1970s. We lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years and then moved to Canada for a few more.”

“People assume that I'm an aristocrat, but I don't really feel part of any class.”

“Actors don't listen to each other. You're so obsessed with what you're saying or doing that the other person could be talking in Swahili and you wouldn't know.”

“I don't really want the kind of Englishness that I have represented.”

“My parents' parents were regular working-class people. I ended up speaking in a certain way, and one gets sidelined into doing certain parts. I think that is really quite narrow-minded.”

“I am a Londoner and I love my home. There are many things about this country which drive me crazy, but when I am in America, I feel wrong there.”

“I love Scotland, mainly for its landscape. I like walking, and it's a great place to go hiking.”

“I watched a lot of American TV, all those repeats of 'Star Trek,' 'Fantasy Island,' 'M*A*S*H,' 'Lost in Space.' All that stuff was the fodder of my childhood.”

“I remember going to the cinema to watch 'Blade Runner' when I was 14 or 15. It was a huge flop when it came out. The cinema was almost empty. I was blown away by it.”

“Before children, it's kind of easy to be solipsistic - you and your wife are in this hermetic little thing, and your own desires, wants, needs, tastes dictate your choices. Then, suddenly, all of that's gone.”

“I have a huge acting crush on Gene Hackman. I just love watching him.”

“When I met with Anna Chancellor, I knew she was a kindred spirit. We got one another.”

“If I was to meet Lou Reed or Bob Dylan, I would be totally helpless. Writers and musicians make me feel completely starstruck.”

“Quite honestly, as long as I am working, can enjoy what I do, get on with it, and put bread on the table, I am really happy.”

“I'm fair-skinned, so beaches are a bit boring for me. I'm either smeared in lotion or under a shade. However, I do love the sea - diving, swimming and snorkelling.”

“I was doing a lot of great theatre, but I just couldn't work out how to make ends meet.”

“You can't learn how to act; you can only really learn it through experience and practice and really finding what your voice is and what you want to be as an actor.”

“I've learnt an enormous amount from my children. Mostly that my agenda isn't the most important thing in the world. For a while, I was trying to squeeze them into my life. And it was such torment! It makes you realise how selfish you are.”

“Whenever I'm doing stage, I want to be doing screen, and vice versa.”