Robert Carlyle

Robert: (when asked for acting tips) Remember your lines and don't fall over the furniture.

Robert: I owe my father everything.

Robert: People like Jim Jarmusch or Spike Jonze make the kind of American cinema that really interests me. And working with them has, so far, been the only thing I haven't been able to do. But other than that I'm perfectly happy with where I am.

Robert: I hate that term, "Method". It's definitely been given to me over the years, but I don't know if it's true. My belief is that every actor's got their own "method", and as long as it works, that's OK.

(About his upbringing in Maryhill, Glasgow) Robert: I was poorer than poor - I will never forget that. I don't know a lot of people from that time these days, but I've seen them through the years and I've seen what life has done to them. I've seen how it's affected them, good or bad, but generally the downside.

(Answering a question asking him if he would like to work in Hollywood) Robert: Anyone that knows me knows what I'm about, and I'm very much a British actor, a European actor, it's what I love doing, but that's not to say that I wouldn't consider something else, I'd be stupid not to.

(On how he would like the role of The Doctor in "Doctor Who") Robert: This has followed me for two years. But no one has ever approached me about it and I never wanted to talk about it because you can't talk about another actor's part. I would treat it with respect and regard it properly, but I would have to be approached about it first.

(on how he likes to unwind) Robert: There is nothing like the Scottish Highlands in winter. It's isolated – there's just nothing there, and the landscape is spectacular. When I feel like I need to get away, the first thing that comes to mind is spending a few weeks up in the hills.

(on his nerves before starting a new role) Robert: It's funny with acting, because I've worked with people who spend the whole time pissed and don't give a shit, and with others who pace their trailer worrying every night, and you wouldn't necessarily be able to guess which was which. I'm more confident now, but my approach is instinctive – and the next one could always be the one where I fall on my arse.

Robert: I get sent a lot of head-case scripts. But I always try to look for a bit of light in there. Maybe a bit of tenderness. Because, in the movies, I always love the baddie. And I want to do it right.

(on his career) Robert: I'm absolutely delighted with the career I have. I feel like I'm the luckiest man on the planet. If I can continue doing it for the next 25 years, I'll be more than happy.

(on the parts he usually plays) Robert: A lot of the characters I play come from the working-class. It's a background I'm familiar with. It's not about being hard. It's just knowing how that society works and what the rules are. I grew up in a working-class area of Glasgow and that experience has stood me in good stead.

(on working on big budget films such as "Eragon" and "The World is Not Enough") Robert: I go into that world every so often, the big-budget world, and then I run away to get my head back together again.