Derek Jacobi

Derek: I was very fortunate that my parents also became my friends. We all adored each other. They were incredibly supportive, particularly when I announced I wanted to go into the profession of which they had no knowledge, no inkling. Shakespeare was somebody they'd heard of vaguely. It was a million miles from their experience. One of the great joys of my life was that they became hooked on the theatre. They'd come to see me, but also went to things I wasn't in.

Derek: I think actors, in a sense, have one foot in the cradle, they never grow up. And that's essential because they've got to wear their emotions on their sleeves when called upon to do so; as a child does. Cry when they're unhappy, laugh when they're happy, scream when they're hungry. Just as a child is plugged into its emotions, so an actor should be.

(when asked about his own mortality) Derek: Anything to do with death and I'm a rag immediately. I get very emotional. And, of course, I'm way past the interval.