I thought I was God's gift to mankind and the greatest Irishman since George Best.

Brain surgeons are dealing with the very last thread of life, and they have to be very confident, but I think they tend to remember their failures rather than their successes, and that must be very hard. Who do you share that failure with? That's why their personal lives are often disastrous.

I didn't much like Las Vegas. The noise of the place and the whole 24-hour, 'let's play the slot machines all night' culture of the place just left me cold.

Martin Freeman as [Bilbo] is just a revelation.

Spoilt is a euphemism for loved.

New Zealand is a place where you can get well.

I've heard some duff Irish accents. The worst must be Mickey Rourke.

I'm not strong-willed enough or unkind enough... or maybe simply not wise enough to tell a journalist that a subject is out of bounds.

I spend my money on holidays and eating out, and it allows me to be generous.

I feel old and vulnerable. I now realise that I knew nothing and know nothing, but back when my career was beginning, I thought I was a man when, in fact, I was a dewy-eyed boy who'd not seen an avocado or eaten a tomato.

My mother taught me what it is to have a sense of humour my dad, who was a headmaster, everything you need to know about hard work. My dad is the most decent man you could come across.

In my life, I have made the occasional catastrophic choice, and it's just a case of moving on and learning from it.