“Sometimes people do you a favour when they drop out of your life.”

A sweaty Macbeth with blood on his arms coming in fresh from the battle doesn’t interest me.

My feeling about work is it’s much more about the experience of doing it than the end product. Sometimes things that are really great and make lots of money are miserable to make, and vice versa.

When there’s an adult person who’s scaring you, you grow up pretty quickly.

It is not hard to feel like an outsider. I think we have all felt like that at one time or another.

It’s really rare for film directors to be that interested in things other than themselves.

I’m Scottish first, and it’s odd to hear that I’m a Scottish-American.

Sometimes people get really sniffy about the films you choose if you’ve done more dramatic projects or you’re classically trained.

It’s hardly ever done, compared to how often it’s done in other companies, not just Britain. Someone from the Roundabout Theater Company – I said, “You never do Shakespeare.” And he said, “Yes, we’re not very good at it.” And I thought, “What a terrible thing to say.”.

I have no regrets in my life even the crazy things I’ve been in. It all made me the I am today and I wouldn’t change anything. I’m happy with who I am!

For example, Americans seem reluctant to take on Shakespeare because you don’t think you’re very good at it – which is rubbish. You’re missing out here.

I’m not a fan of Twitter.

Actually I like working kind of fast, because if you got it, why bother doing it over and over?

It’s exciting to be with really, really good people. Some people make you feel like you’ve got to up your game.

I like the tragedies way more than the comedies because they’re so universal.

I don’t avoid anyone but I always think some people hate me.

I wouldn’t do my roles if I really hated it. I’ve done things I hated, but I didn’t go into them thinking I would hate them. I want to have fun. I don’t want to go to work and not enjoy it.

A dangerous fallacy is to repudiate freedom in favor of an unknown future.

Divine favor causes you to rise to the top in your sphere of influence, and the reality is that favor can be recognized more easily is your start at the bottom.

The only way you can get experience is from the clock. Time works with some people and against some people. Fortunately, the clock has worked in my favor.

Better it is to say that the government most comfortable to nature is that which best agrees with the humor and disposition of the people in whose favor it is established.

Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving.

Mankind are more indebted to industry than ingenuity; the gods set up their favors at a price, and industry is the purchaser.

Fortune favors the brave; and the world certainly gives the most credit to those who are able to give an unlimited credit to themselves.

A free man who lives among the ignorant strives as far as he can to avoid their favors. A free man acts honestly, not deceptively.