| As an actor you're almost never in fashion. I very rarely have a 'look' that's in my own period, or anything remotely trendy. I had to wear my hair long for ages and you get frustrated seeing everybody else walking around with shaved heads. At one point I had so many 1800s haircuts I looked like a rockabilly. So when it comes to my own wardrobe, I have to cultivate a look that doesn't appear completely bizarre but works with the haircut of the role I'm playing. Mostly I dress for comfort in jeans and T-shirts, but if I had the money I'd dress very smart. I love wearing classic-cut suits, though I very rarely wear ties. I don't do colour. Recently my wife bought me a baby-blue cashmere jumper. When I opened it I just thought, 'There is no way ...' But when I put it on I was pleasantly surprised that it worked, but I so lack courage with colour. Also having red hair, it's quite difficult because there are things that just don't work on you. Playing the villain in Die Another Day, I wanted to make him aggressive but contemporary. The thing with a Bond film is you inevitably fall into pastiche because it is such a recognisable franchise. So for me the character was slightly tongue-in-cheek but at the same time you want him to be a credible threat. I'm extremely proud to have been in a Bond film but I don't want it to be the only thing I'm remembered for. I love the way I can dot around doing all kinds of different things " plays and television and movies. What can be quite frustrating, but also quite pleasant, is that I'm still relatively obscure. Sometimes I get in a cab and the driver says, 'Would I have seen you in something?' and I reel off all these things that he's definitely not seen, 'Ooh, I did a couple of Racine plays at the Almeida ...' It can be a little humiliating. But then I'm glad I have a certain anonymity. I would hate to be someone like Jude Law. In my latest film, The Rising, I wear a moustache. I fought and fought against it, but eventually I gave in. And I'm glad I did because it does look authentic. I play a renegade British officer who joins the Indian Mutiny of 1857. I was going to have a beard but unfortunately I can't really grow one. Cary Grant is my style hero, along with Robert Redford and Paul Newman. They just have bodies that can carry clothes. And George Clooney is a natural successor. The funny thing is, Cary Grant was quite strange physically, but on film he looks amazing. I'm quite dogmatic about going to the gym, or running during the week. I quit smoking 10 months ago, so I now do nothing, I'm a total bore. I don't drink, I don't smoke and I don't do drugs. Obviously in my profession you have to be careful about making sure you look healthy. I used to be a big drinker and a big party animal, but I found that in the end my work was paying for it. I think a lot of actors still believe in that rock'n'roll mentality where you can go and thrash yourself in the evenings after working and still deliver a barnstorming performance. Well, you might be able to when you're 25 ...
Some people say, 'my God, you're very much like your mum [Dame Maggie Smith]' in terms of looks, and then other people say, 'You're like your dad' [Robert Stephens]. One has a smattering of both, and let's face it that's very handy because they're both fantastic actors in their own right, and I'd be very grateful for a bit of that. But also I hope I've got my own flavour that dominates. I really feel that in the last five years, I've managed to move away from the gravity of being their son. To a certain extent, I feel, 'Jesus, why am I still talking about my mum at the age of 36?' I feel like Ronnie Corbett in Sorry!.
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