Dexter Fletcher

Dexter: (on Band of Brothers) On the first day of our boot camp Tom Hanks gave a speech to us all underlining the importance of what we were about to embark on. He said 'one day, you'll be sitting in an airport somewhere and someone will come up to you and say 'you played my father. Thank you for telling his story'. That had a real impact on me.

Dexter: (on his preparation for his role in Band of Brothers) We had to spend a night in March in some bombed out houses. You did your two hour watch and then you got a couple of hours sleep. It was freezing. But not being shot at made it easier.

Dexter: (on his role as Sussex in The Virgin Queen) He must have been a fairly duplicitous kind of bloke, or extremely shrewd, to be able to align himself with the power and not get his head chopped off

Dexter: (on his role in Hotel Babylon) What I loved about Tony was that he is fixer, a mover and a shaker and has his finger on the pulse of the hotel. Tony is the character in Babylon who manages to get a handle on situations and get things back on track... the man who people turn to in a crisis... and that is a role I hadn't played before and ultimately is what appealed to me about the part.

Dexter: (on being recognised) I do get recognised from time to time and I'd be a liar if I said I didn't like it. I really feel it's for your work that people remember you, so that's always satisfying.

Dexter: (on the soldiers who were immortalised in Band of Brothers) There are 30 key characters, and there were 15 Americans. The character I played was Sgt John Martin. He's still alive, living in Phoenix with his wife. I spoke to him on the phone a lot when we were filming. I met him first in Normandy, and we stayed in Paris for a week. These old guys could drink you under the table. These war veterans drinking vodka and orange, telling the stories we all thought we knew - they started telling real horror stories then. My wife and I spent time with them in their home in Arizona and they came to Los Angeles a few times, because the series picked up a lot of awards.

Dexter: (on his preparation for the role he shadowed a real Conceirge) I can't really tell you who he is because I don't want to compromise him – he was very good to me and gave me a real insight into the job and in the more unsavoury side of the job which I hope I've managed to convey. He also lent me his Golden Keys which I wear on set on my lapels.

Dexter: (on his plans for the future) I'd love to play some leading villains and mature adult roles and perhaps work with writers like Jez Butterworth and Patrick Marber who I really admire. I would also like to work with Joe Wright who just directed Pride and Prejudice. I've written a film script that my friend Jason Flemyng from Lock, Stock will produce and hopefully I will direct, but we both keep getting acting roles. So it might be some way off before it happens!

Dexter: (on working with Guy Richie) I'd always like to work with Guy again, and when it happens it'll be a wonderful experience I'm sure... There's not many people who've invented their own kind of film language. That's what Guy has done, he's very groundbreaking in what he does, he's a very quick creative mind.

Dexter: If you're going to do something, commit properly and don't fall through the gaps. It sounds tough and stern but it's helped me turn things around in my life.

Dexter: (on his role in "Band of Brothers") The more I spoke to John, the more I realized that we were telling a real story. We had a serious responsibility. We owed it to these men to produce something more than sentimental schlock.

Dexter: (his role as the young Caravaggio) I was kind of afraid I might just end up rolling around naked on a beach. But I had this 15 minute meeting scheduled with Jarman and I ran out two hours later and bought a book about Caravaggio because Jarman was so absolutely involved and passionate.

Dexter: I left school with no qualifications but I was doing theatre and film work and thought that was the best thing since sliced bread.

Dexter: I always devise a background so that it makes what your character goes through logical and keeps up the continuity.