Aaron Taylor-Johnson

My whole thing, my priority, is my family, my kids, and my wife. That's my future. I don't really care about what role is next.

The buzz you get when you're playing a song and everyone is screaming and dancing and what have you and singing along is incredible.

I don't like to be me. I'm not so comfortable being me on screen because then I'd be a presenter. I'm not Jimmy Fallon.

I think with anything where you delve into the back story of an artist, it kind of explains their work more intimately.

I'm constantly trying to find something that's different from me, whereas some actors do the same thing, again and again. That's not for me.

I got into beards right in the middle of the hipster boom.

People look at stuff like 'Godzilla' and 'Avengers' and think I only do blockbusters, or however you wanna put it, but in reality, I can make double or triple what I got paid for 'Avengers' by doing other stuff - there are other options, but I don't want to work with this person or that person, and so I don't do it.

The problem with independent films is that they can be hit or miss. I've seen scripts that have blown me away. But there have to be all the right ingredients in place to make them work: the director, cast, publicity, distribution.

I was raised by women. Now I'm raising women. I was always better around girls. I live in an all-female household. I even have two female dogs... It's funny how that turned out.

I'm not the kind of male who has to put my imprint on everything.

For me, I can't watch violence when it's too grotesque, and it's just like, that's revolting to watch. I don't enjoy it. But when it's a Tarantino film, I'm lining up outside the door to see it, and I'm expecting to see something really crazy, a lot of blood, and for it to be funny.

Anyone who's got a guitar, you like to pick it up. I can play a couple of songs, some '50s rock and roll, a bit of Elvis. That's it, really - I'm not a musician, I'm not a singer.

I did swimming, gymnastics, dance, and the acting was just a small part. I didn't have pushy parents; it wasn't forced upon me. They just said, 'See if you like it. If you do, great; if you don't, don't worry about it.' I was really fortunate to have that guidance and supportive parents.

We have the ability to be able, if we have the right resources around us, to really do chop and change and have fun in our time and not just be stuck in one world or the other.

I was never that kid who used to brag about anything.

I wouldn't want to be a James Bond.

I want to work with great directors. I've picked films based on the script or the character and seen them collapse because the directors were not strong visionaries.

I was brought up by my mum and my sister. I've always been around independent women; I like that. Anybody who's a fake I don't like and I don't talk to.

Only recently have I been introduced to the gym and heavy weightlifting and things like that. Before that, when I grew up, I just did a lot of gymnastics and dance. I had more of an athletic background, but nothing where I was in the gym or using any kind of weights.

I don't analyse things, and I don't look back. I can think forward - but only about my family. I don't look outside that and certainly don't care what anyone else thinks.

I get more fulfilment from being a father than I do from being an actor.

I like my world to be calm.

It's funny because if you ever ask anyone in England to try and do a Beatles accent, no one knows what they really sound like. If you ask anyone in America, they would try and give it a go. English people just know their songs.

Whenever I read a script, I start recasting the role that I might play. I'm like, 'God, this should be played by Domhnall Gleeson, not me.'

I was lucky enough, when I was younger, to have the chance to do as much as possible, and I found what I wanted to do. I did swimming, gymnastics, kickboxing and the one that took off more than the others was acting.