Alan Bates

You've got to have steel in you somewhere.

I have always tried to work according to what affects me, to a script that I like because it touches me in some way, without deliberately pursuing a commercial career or a particular image.

An emotional performance is usually more instinctive to an actor.

I like playing dark, offbeat, quirky characters.

It's good to like yourself, and that only comes from hard work, from doing. But vanity is dangerous; it can trip you badly.