John Hurt

Parents are the worst teachers, if they are good at it and you're not. My father thought I was the densest offspring he could have produced.

It's quite a dangerous career move to go wilfully on making films that may not find a distributor.

One thing that is likely to make you lose touch is if you keep in touch with the past too much.

I gave up religious thinking a long time ago and am really just an agnostic now.

I didn't want to teach. I wanted to act. It was quite a long and difficult road to get there but very thrilling when I did.

I've never been pushy. People have said I should have been, more, but I'm not sure. I've watched hugely ambitious people: the minute they've got a success, they know where it's going, they know how to deal with it, and it all happens for them. Great. But that's not the way I - well, I don't like to use the word 'operate'.