Rupert Friend (2015)

I can do lots of voices. People think I am a very serious guy but what I REALLY want to do is silly voices. Monty Python, the Hearthstone characters, Mo-Ca, Animation or just walking along like I usually do!

You know, Claire and I talked about this last year - the truth is, neither of us ever 'played' a romance in any of our scenes together, yet I know people felt that there was one there. That's super interesting to me because it raises the question, do we see what we want to see? In terms of next year, i'm afraid I don't know if Quinn will be back, but to be fair to Mr Gansa, I doubt he knows either at this stage! We don't get scripts until very close to shooting. As in: days before...!

The guys who made the game did such an incredible job of creating a world, it was an honour to step into it for a time. The thing that struck me when I played the games was the depth of the gameplay, most of which hinged on the intelligence of the title character. That's what drew me to him. That and the fact that he's a total bad-ass...

The idea of opening himself to someone, of being vulnerable, is very difficult. It's a window which cannot stay open for long, and I think for a seemingly pretty tough guy there is actually a lot of sensitivity to being hurt there. So he went back to what he knew...

I wouldn't play anyone else on Homeland. I would, however, love to operate the camera...which they actually let me do for a take or two on my birthday last year.

it's on Xanax

Of course. This is a beloved character, and I want to do a good job. But: I don't want to do an impersonation of anything. So, this is my interpretation of a very bad-ass guy who exists in a very cool world designed by some smart folks who love the game and this character. I think it's important to recognise that films and video games are two different mediums. I recently read something that Neil Gaiman said concerning adaptations, in that it was important to "translate" and not "transliterate"... and I think he is absolutely right.

Isn't that a great book? Doctors don't ask to see passports before treating sick people or delivering children...

I'm super passionate about this because I wrote it. I wrote it because I had the best experience directing STEVE and wanted to do it again, and was pretty sure nobody would let me direct unless I wrote it myself... It's a movie about two con-artists, one-upping each other on a road trip while falling in love. It's me and Emily Blunt - think The Sting, Paper Moon, and His Girl Friday. But funny.

I never saw My So-Called Life, but my dad had a big crush on Gillian Anderson so I saw some of The X-Files....but for me, it was all about Quantum Leap

Horrible. He was a great kid. We were friends so he kept laughing through the takes so we had to ramp it up. Before all that though, he and I had agreed that there was a Bad Guy who lived on set who was simply Not Rupert. By keeping them separate I hope he wasn't too upset. It's only a movie, not worth a psychological scarring!

He plays a lot of Hearthstone, doesnt tell anyone about that. Makes things out of wood. Is oddly good at ice skating.

It's always odd when people ask for a photo or whatever and then it transpires they don't actually know who you are - I got chased out of a (really good) local chicken joint by a girl who insisted I was 'That Guy' but couldnt elaborate (!) it went from ludicrous to RUN AWAY!! very fast

Wine: bordeaux or barolo.

Beer: Guinness if it's cold out. Alhambra from the bottle if it's warm out.

Whisky: Talisker

before a scene...? neither. it's all pretty instinctual...we don't even rehearse. we pretty much just go for it.

When I was building my place, there was no heating -I was living in a building site. I used to have a sunday night ritual of sausages and Homeland and wine. I stopped watching the show when I got the job, but thinking back on it makes me feel warm and tired at the end of a hard day's work, but it also makes me think of sausages.

I havent seen the other Hitman movie as I wanted to keep my first impressions tied to the game and my imagination. I would find it very hard to 'unsee' someone else's version of a character.

He doesn't really like jelly.

I just got back from doing some additional action photography on the movie with the directors of John Wick - we did some very cool stunt sequences, which I loved. I think audiences today are so smart - I want to give audiences as little 'cheating' as possible, so I did as many of my own stunts as I could. Re: playing Hitman, I mostly stuck to Absolution because I loved the way he moves.

Hugh is fantastic! But who do you think I should play on HANNIBAL...? I've never seen it.

Would Quinn be able to do MY job?????

badass robot prince liberating Auschwitz

You know what I REALLY love? Working with the most fantastic, talented group of people and seeing it all come together. It's like having the best ingredients and bringing them into an amazing meal. And then eating it. With wine and a fire.

I was surprised, but that's the thing about these writers, and about working in TV generally - you genuinely dont know what your character is going to be doing next week. Like, I really really dont like offal, and they might make Quinn LOVE it, and then I'd be F**KED right??

It's from yours, but it's not a 'back-of-head' movie (!). Plus there's a pretty major twist which shifts your perspective when you least expect it...

That they're uptight. Get 'em drunk...

That's fascinating. I really hope that is the etymology of his name! My only 'P & Q' references are a line of ferries, and an exercise done by ladies of my grandmother's generation to firm up the under-chin, in which one says 'Peeeeee!' and then 'KyUUUUUU!' as forcefully as possible. You're safe, don't worry.

Quinn did it so it didn't get crumpled. On another note, that book was a total favourite of mine too, and one of my childhood nicknames was Pip. The writers had no idea..

Pleasures shouldn't be guilty. How long have you got?!

Loved it. The director did not allow makeup or costume in the room inbetween takes, just the camera and us, and we were free to improvise and it got pretty heated! I loved working with Jack O Connell too.

Commando for Quinn. Boxer briefs for me!

Streetcar Named Desire and Indiana Jones and The Addams Family

LOVED Spirited Away, can't wait to watch more

Ernest Hemingway — 'All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.'

he REALLY doesn't like waffles...

my LAST name?? My first name's RUPERT FOR CHRISSAKES!!!

I love it when the Roman guard corrects the graffiti writer in Life of Brian. And spare a shekel for an old ex leper. and that Terry Jones gives BJs to all the soldiers. and 'we're all individuals!' and the People's Front of Judea. Genius

Here's the thing - you don't actually SEE Wickham being a 'bad boy', it's reported. Interesting example of the difference between what is 'played' and what the audience infers. In terms of subsequent roles, Prince Albert was pretty damn decent!

I love the idea that my growth is too strong..>! RE the bald thing in this movie: our 47 is 15 years younger than the one in the game - I wanted to reflect that, and make this character real to me. Shaving one's head to the skin, when you have hair, felt an odd thing to do; buzzing it with clippers felt practical and less high-maintenance than Bic'ing it every day. This is an assassin, not someone overly obsessed with daily grooming. Also - this is a master of stealth. You try blending in with a shiny head and a red tie in a non video game environment...