If you have a very good concept of your character, you can snap into it.

I think everybody`s got different methods of working which suit the particular individual. Mine is to sort of play the part, and give 100%, to concentrate and focus on it while I`m actually working, but then leave it behind until the next day.

Everyone was very deeply involved in the world of "The Lord of the Rings". From the wardrobe department to lighting, all were fascinated with the story. This is something that does not happen usually.

Lord of the Rings was something I always wanted to do. I read the book when I was about 25, and I was always hoping if it was ever made into a feature film that I would be involved in some way. And then I finally got it, and I was over the moon. It was fantastic news.

I put quite a few trees in last autumn. A lot of silver birch and a couple of native trees - just generally doing gardening, putting plants in and hedges in. It takes quite a lot of time and I love it.

I sort of leave the character at the end of the day. I don`t carry anything around with me - no excess baggage or unnecessary thoughts. I think it`s too exhausting to do that. To put things into perspective - your work is your work, and your leisure time is something else.

I think that you always have something left, that you take something of the character with you.

I`m proud of Lord of the Rings. I think it`s a once in a lifetime role, and a once in a lifetime film. It was made with so much care and passion and meticulous detail and everybody was so behind it.

Lord of the Rings was just so much enjoyment. It was over about the space of a year that I was filming. It`s one of the most enjoyable things I`ve ever done, so emotional.

A common misperception of me is...that I am a tough, rough northerner, which I suppose I am really. But I`m pretty mild-mannered most of the time. It`s the parts that you play I guess. I don`t mind it. I`m not a tough guy. I`d like to act as a fair, easy-going, kind man at some point.

"I think there was a time I was linked to it but I suppose I blew it playing 006. They made a good choice in Daniel Craig. He`s a very good actor. He was in one of the first Sharpes we ever did and I gave him a bit of a battering. So we can always say Sharpe battered Bond." - On Casino Royale (2006)

"There`s a wealth of literature out there which, hopefully, will be, you know, exploded in the future, and I personally find it very rewarding to be involved with classic storytelling, and sort of legendary characters." (Spoken in answer to question at Cannes Film Festival "Troy" Interview.)

He`s a fallen hero, a very gentle man under that exterior. He`s lived in an environment always ravaged by war and had to be realistic. He wants to use the ring against the enemy instead of destroying it. He doesn`t understand the complexities this piece of metal can have on human beings. (Talking about his character Boromir)