I Do Think I'm A Character Actor.

I Always Thought The Biggest Failing Of Americans Was Their Lack Of Irony. They Are Very Serious There! Naturally, There Are Exceptions... The Jewish, Italian, And Irish Humor Of The East Coast.

In Filming You're Waiting. You're Waiting For Lights. You're Waiting For People Set Things Up. And When You're Not Waiting, You're Repeating. And Neither Is Conducive To Spontaneity, You Know. Comedy Makes You Very, Very Neurotic Because You Think, I - But Did I Nail It?

I Think The Dictator Director Is Based Upon Stories From The Past. I Don't Think Anyone Would Put Up With It Now. There Are A Lot Of People On A Film Set With Egos. So, To Be Completely Authoritarian, You'd Probably Have To Have A Reputation Like Kurosowa Or Somebody To Get Away With It.

Something Like Shakespeare In Love, Which Became Such An Established Hit That It Now Seems Like A Foregone Conclusion... But It Really Wasn't. The Script Was Around For A Very, Very Long Time And Had People Chickening Out All The Time.

I Don't Think It's Aiming At Gags, I Think The Humour Is Woven Into It. It's Part Of How The Characters Operate And How They Deal With Disaster Because They're Worldly Enough To Have A Bit Of Irony And Wryness About Their Own Circumstances. So, I Think The Humour Comes Out Of That.