RUPERT FRIEND

I think you can decide how much of yourself you're willing to make public.

I don't think the idea of working in Hollywood really exists anymore. I think you work in films, and where the film is shot is where it's shot. The studio system doesn't really exist.

I think saying you're bad at something is rather wonderful because then it doesn't matter anymore.

I'm not intelligent enough to be a doctor, and kind of hands down you can't argue with the worth of that. But I don't really have an opinion about the worth of making art.

It's great to sit and talk about the films and the people I work with, rather than where I buy my socks or whatever.

Edinburgh is so cultural and such a beautiful place to walk around.

There are two qualities that I've noticed in good directors: One is that they have their vision very strongly in place; and two is that they listen to everyone's opinion and still remember their vision.

I can only go places because I know that I can go away from them, if that makes sense. I like the gypsy lifestyle that filming affords.

I think that the process of trying to become somebody else, and obviously the director/actor relationship in trying to do that, is such a weird, undefinable thing.

I've never got a part in the same way twice. I've never prepared the same way. I've never experienced the filming the process the same way.

I believe that if you can discover something of the truth of a person, then you will start to understand, and to understand is to move towards, if not like, then at least an empathy of some kind.

The accent in England can change literally from street to street, and people have this sort of feudal tribalism whereby you can identify somebody's provenance by their voice.

My auditions for drama school were miserable, but one thing I had on my side, although I had no experience or skill or training, was that I wanted to learn everything.

'On the Road' completely changed the way I looked at what you could do with your life.

I'm only really interested in taking a part if it's nothing like me.

I'm a terrible dancer.

I grew up in the countryside in the middle of nowhere in England and got out as soon as I could!

I don't think you can decide how famous or not you become.

Everybody has many people inside of them; I think we tend to present the one we feel is most appropriate at first, in order to gain acceptance or achieve what we want. It gets really interesting when this technique fails, and other levels are revealed.

Growing up in England, you're sort of spoiled, in a way. You sort of take it for granted that within a half-hour's drive, you could be walking around a stately home from the 1700s. It's not very hard to do - in California, you've got to take a flight!

There are some great actors I don't want to meet because I don't want to know how they did it. I don't want to know anything about their personal life, and the illusion, or whatever it is, the shape-shiftery magic stuff that they do, which is my joy.

I'll tell you, there's no goodies and baddies in the world, there's just people with intentions that sometimes clash.

I really love living in cities where the people living above, below and next to you are from totally different worlds to you.

I think that what drives most of us as human beings is the want for something. You might have a hope, or a big dream, or a goal that you haven't yet achieved.

I like Scottish people because they feel very true. They're always level and straight. They get a reputation for being hardened because of it, but I find them to be scrupulously honest people.