Often you find the character through the things they say. How they talk about other people, how they describe themselves - which is very rare.
I have been to the theater more since I have lived in New York than I ever really did in London working on a television show.
I think that internal conflict works very well, because, after all, all the best drama is fuelled by conflict.
I speak some dwarvish.
A charity donkey is where you sponsor a donkey in a sanctuary and give them three pounds a month to have some donkey nuts or something.
I wouldn't want a tattoo at all. They're difficult to cover up.
I wouldn't even dare to sing like Ed Sheeran.
You've got to have baddies that you can boo.
I can work hard and be disciplined like a soldier, but I could never reach their level of fitness.
I can't bear shopping. I can choose clothes for my characters, but not for myself. I've got no dress sense. Or I've lost it.
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've done an awful lot of skiing all over Europe: I've done Italy, Austria, France. I skied loads in New Zealand - I did pretty much every ski slope I could find.
Trying to please everyone can be very hard, but, like 'Shrek' or 'The Simpsons,' 'Robin Hood' manages to entertain adults and children at the same time, but in different ways.
Do people really think that about my nose? I spent my whole life hating it, so it's amusing that people like it!
I've become one of those actors who find it difficult to say 'no' when things are offered.
It's bloody annoying being shy. I'll spend a whole evening at a party asking everyone else about themselves. I'm not being self-deprecating; it's because I'm too shy to talk about myself. So people come away from the evening actually having learnt nothing about me.
Adults will not necessarily laugh at the same thing as their children.
In school, I was a beanpole with a nose I hadn't grown into.
It fills me with dismay sometimes when you look at the scripts that do come to you that are primarily focused on violence. There are so many other things to play around with.
People like continuity, and the good old cliffhanger every week is something they enjoy. I enjoy it - I don't want to dip into just one episode when I turn on the TV.
I confess I've got a yearning to go to Los Angeles, but I can't work out if it is because a lot of British actors seem to go or because there's this perception that the bottom has fallen out of British drama, so therefore, it's the place to head for.
It is possible to work out of New York on film and television and still not lose your connection to theater.
I suppose I'm a bit mean. My face on camera doesn't lend itself to happy nice guys. I think it's just that my bone structure looks menacing.
If you're used to being a maverick, then people don't get surprised when you start acting strangely.
I'd like to live off-grid.
I'm looking forward to getting fat and old.
Personally, I'm not interested in getting more money for what I do; I'm just interested in more money being put into the production.
I was an estate agent for three years. That was pretty grim.
I think if I had come out of drama school and been an instant Hollywood superstar, I would be taking long, leisurely holidays.
You fight for certain roles, and you realise they're being filled by television and film actors, because theatre is constantly fighting for survival and they need names and faces and ticket sales.
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.
The scariest stunt I've ever done was on 'Captain America.' We were doing some underwater sequence. I was in a submarine, and Chris Evans had to break the glass, and the water had to fill up quickly in the submarine.
I was in a production of 'Macbeth.'
I'm not a massive fan of 3D. I've seen some good 3D, and I've seen quite a lot of bad 3D. I think if a film is created for the shock effect of 3D, then it's a certain type of film that I'm not massively bothered about.
Some of the mail I've had has been weird. When I played Guy of Gisborne, a woman crocheted a mini-version of me.
You know, to an extent, Method acting feels occasionally lazy.
I love being grungy and dirty.
Give me a character that has an heroic quality, and I'll go there.
I did quite a lot of menial jobs. I was a waiter, an inventory clerk touring round properties listing cups and saucers, and a laserquest marshal.
When I told my mom I was going to audition for 'The Hobbit,' she said, 'Well, you've always loved Tolkien.' And she was right.
I think my fighting skills have certainly been improved by working with Peter Jackson.
I know what Twitter is; I don't use it. I don't use Facebook, so luckily, it does zero to my ego.
I feel like my imagination was crafted by Tolkien. He seemed to tap into that childhood intrigue of secret doors and hidden worlds.
I do believe in pensions.
Once you don't smile on film, they say, 'Let's have that bloke who doesn't smile.'
Whatever I lack in talent I have in stamina.
Te Papa Museum is brilliant.
Being thought of as sexy makes one employable, but it's not going to last forever, so I try not to think about it. It's like something that exists outside of me.
Monet was like a conductor. He painted with quite a straight arm and used bold strokes.
I have an accountant, obviously, because I'm self employed, and I use an independent financial adviser. I trust my accountant because we have worked together for a long time now.
I went into musical theatre, which I'm not really cut out for - I'm not as skilled at it as other people.
I want to live in Middle-earth, actually.
Tolkien made dwarf sign language because, you know, it's too loud to talk in the mines.
I think most five-foot-two people would be quite offended if they were to be called dwarves.
Everyone loves a good baddie.
I've never been that cute kid that was forgiven for being naughty.
I am just not a water baby. I can swim, but I just don't.
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.
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.