I find impressionists slightly annoying, really.
I always think that, even when people behave badly, if you like something deep inside them, then there is a tiny bit of nobility – they wish they could be good.
I don’t think there’s anything outside what comedy can address.
I don’t like new bands. I don’t want to be one of those pathetic old men in their forties who knows exactly what 18-year-olds are into.
I don’t go to premieres, unless I’m contractually bound to.
I did not become successful in my work through embracing or engaging in celebrity culture. I never signed away my privacy in exchange for success.
I am of the very last generation who didn’t have computers at school. As we grow old we’ll become something of an aberration.
Comedy is unique in the sense that laughter is a palpable noise that everyone makes.
But with comedy it’s a simple premise. If it’s funny, people laugh. If it’s not, they don’t.
Big comedy is good, I like things that are big, but good comedy has to be truthful I think and has to reflect some sort of reality.
The important thing is not to be defined by what others think of you.
As soon as I see period costume, I turn off. It’s like hearing drama on Radio 4.
Actors say they do their own stunts for the integrity of the film but I did them because they looked like a lot of fun.
Me, myself, personally, I like to keep myself private. I have never said I am a paragon of virtue, a model of morality. I simply do what I do.
I knew lots of Irish ladies in my life who would say daft things and then would just say something incredibly truthful in a very simple way with simple language – a few well chosen words that would take an intellectual five minutes to express. I like that.
I’ve always been drawn to discomfort and that limbo of unease you get between comedy and tragedy.
Even great people are always slightly disappointing, which is generally what makes them interesting.
I have never wanted to be famous, as such – fame is a by-product.
If you got the balls to follow something through, you can end up being the coolest, smartest guy in the room, because you’ve literally put your ass on the line.
I think it’s always funny when you see kids do Shakespeare.