Martin Freeman

I am a fan of the Coen brothers. I'm not a fanatic. I'm a big admirer. They create unique worlds, and there is a real atmosphere to their films. Not everyone can get that. That's a massive part of their appeal: you can recognise them. Like all the great directors or artists, you know it when you see it.

I think acting is all about the other people. Sounds like a worthy thing to say, but it's true.

I've got a pretty good musical ear, and I can pick things up.

Whenever someone says to my mum: 'How's your son doing?' she says: 'Which one?' If you're a parent, you're not going to go: 'Oh I'll concentrate on the famous one.'

Half of us are partly German! Half our language and culture, generally, in Anglo-Saxon terms, is German.

I don't think anyone looks into their family tree and expects it to come up smelling of roses.

'Sherlock' is beautifully done, if I may say so myself. Even if I wasn't in it, I would like the show.

I always kind of think if The Beatles were still around now, people would've lost interest quite a long time ago. Seven years of recording - it's there forever. I think not outstaying your welcome is a vital ingredient.

The design of 'Love Actually,' the typeface, the basic line of that poster and that DVD cover has been ripped off so many times.

'The Hobbit' would have been very difficult to pass on, do you know what I mean? It's not the kind of ship that comes into dock very often.

I like anything with my face on it, just from an aesthetic point of view.

I think the world needs to see more of my face.

I want to inspire children to be obsessed over jewellery.

I hope I inspire children to make films.

To be honest, if people thought my performance in 'The Office' was the same as my performance in 'The Hobbit,' it would tell me everything I needed to know about what they know about acting.

I enjoy fighting scenes. I like fighting in film. I like pretending to fight in films.

I don't have sentimental attachments to characters at all.

Most people aren't these grandstanding heroes.

I suppose the real cult things now are independent films made for a million pounds.

With superheroes and comics and fantasy and sci-fi being absolutely the popular currency in cinema, it's like people have said in endless magazines, it's the revenge of the geeks and all that. There's some truth in that.

I've had several really tangible dreams about UFOs, and they've been amazing!

I don't write anything off without reading a script, and if it's a good one, I'll consider it, whether it's for $20 or a million dollars.

When I was at youth theatre and drama school, I never thought people would mistake me for a stand-up.

Coming back from doing 'The Hobbit,' you think 'Sherlock' is realistic, but of course, it's not that realistic.

I have quite catholic taste in music.

Like, honest to God, I don't expect people to be into what I'm into.

I don't like affectation.

If everyone's just saying what they feel and doing whatever they want, there's no drama in the world. And there's also no truth to it, 'cause that's just not the truth.

When people bully us, we are complicit in it in some way. We do allow it to happen to some extent.

It's always the case, whenever you're doing someone real, how much you want to do an impression or a characterisation. If I was doing Churchill, or Gandhi - people know exactly how they talked, walked.

I'm geek royalty now.

I think the hardest part about anything you do for 18 months is just keeping yourself together for 18 months.

I don't get cast as the guy who steps off a yacht in a white linen suit with a martini.

Any pigeonhole is something to be rebelled against.

I've always slightly envied other actors I know who have different reputations. I think, 'God, you don't get people coming up to you, going, 'Hey!' - because they're scared of you.'

I've always been attracted to darkness.

It would be a shame for me if I were to become 'Mr. Half-Hour Sitcom.'

My idea of a good night out is staying in.

I'm always interested with other actors in what their process is, and are they still interested in acting, as opposed to being a star.

I don't like 'cool telly.'

I like the quiet life sometimes. I also love a bustling press conference sometimes as well. I love a 600 metre red carpet.

Being an actor is just like being any other sort of self-employed person - we're all just happy to have a job in the first place, but we also thrive off the uncertainty of it.

I wanted to be an actor because I saw 'Dog Day Afternoon,' you know what I mean?

I'm afraid I don't have a very pragmatic or unromantic view of props. I don't imbue them with any great sense of mystery or anything.

I think when see you a character on the screen who is actually being touched by the world, and the stuff is actually landing on him, it makes you empathize.

Are there many Tims in America? I don't know if I can think of many American Tims.

I've been well-known in Britain for a long time.

I've always liked clothes, since I was a kid.

It's hard talking about acting, in a way, because it's like explaining a joke: I do think it loses something in the telling.

I'm just a sucker for a good script.