- [on his role in Downton Abbey (2010)] It's a dream job because it's completely the other side of the spectrum, particularly as it carries on. My character gets nastier.
- [on kissing Charlie Cox in Downton Abbey (2010)] When you're kissing a woman and you want it to look realistic, you're thinking, 'Am I taking advantage of her? Is her boyfriend going to think I'm over-stepping the mark? Whereas when you are kissing a man, those thoughts don't cross your mind. I'm more scared of it looking false, so I went for it fully to make it look real and hopefully I've achieved that.
- Working on Downton Abbey (2010) is amazing, but there's an ensemble cast of between 18 and 21 actors. With 'Love Life,' there are two couples and a few other key characters. As a smaller unit, you've got to take more responsibility - at the same time, you can have more ownership of the direction it's going in.
- The reason I'm an actor and am trying to make my way in drama is to move people, to affect people, to gain a response - so these people who come up to you in the street are your audience.
- I'm a working class lad. So at 25, and with no-one in our family having any theatrical inclination, when I said, 'I'm going to scratch all that and become an actor,' I may as well have said I was going to be a Premiership footballer for the chance I'd have.
- I can't watch myself on screen without dying a little bit inside. And there are lots of moments when I think, 'What am I doing as an actor? I can't act!'
- I would like to do theatre because it scares me, and I think you should do things that scare you.
- The devil always has the better tunes!
- My dad doesn't watch 'Coronation Street.' But my mum is a massive fan. I'd like to think my dad will watch it for a few token episodes, as I'm in it.
- Most actors will tell you that villains are the most interesting to play.
- I went to Huddersfield University Business School. That's where I learned my trade.
- I got into acting for the different scenarios and roles and meeting different people.
- Before 'Coronation Street,' I was a jobbing actor, and after it, I'm a jobbing actor again.
- You don't buy evil characters lattes. That's not normal behavior.
- Sometimes people can be guilty of not working at relationships and if it's not working, oof, that's it.
- You know if something is good because you remember the lines because it is written so well. The rhythm of the speech is spot on.
- If I had a comfort blanket, I wouldn't have been as passionate and driven.
- I've swam with great white sharks.
- Being in 'Coronation Street' is only going to make me a better actor.
- There's definitely a wave of Brits doing great work on American television, and I wouldn't mind being one of them.
- Obviously, I play a villain in Downton Abbey (2010). As an actor, you want to get a variety of roles, so to be offered the part of Joe, it was perfect.
- I think because of my background - I went through university and did an academic career and fell into acting - I've never had a game plan for my career because I got into it quite ad hoc.
- My girlfriend is a great support, and I've got a big circle of mates who keep my feet on the ground.
- Because you've done the horrible jobs, it gives you an even grittier determination to succeed.
- My mom and dad put my brother and sister through university and they were very keen for us to have an academic background just to give us a chance.
- Beverly Hills is too intimidating. Everyone's got lovely teeth, so you don't want to smile. Everyone's ripped, so you start working out at 4 in the morning and eating egg white omelets.
- When people accuse me of being really posh, I think, 'Hang on a minute - no, I'm not!'
- Particularly with internships, you have to work for a year with no money. How on Earth are you going to finance that?
- People identify with being heartbroken. We've all been heartbroken, haven't we? I've been dumped, and it feels horrible.
- If you rile a tiger, he's going to show his claws.
- [Downton Abbey (2010) characters] Tom and O'Brien always smoke while they scheme.] Yeah, smokers always bond outside. You can't smoke indoors. But I'm not advocating smoking. "Build bonds through smoking, it will enhance your life." I'm not fucking saying that.
- [Thomas [in Downton Abbey (2010)] smokes in a very dastardly way. Is that how you normally smoke?] I don't smoke! My smoking was terrible in the first year, but by season two I was getting better. There was a scene where I took it so deep, I said five lines and smoke was still coming out my mouth.
- [Joanne Froggatt says that the upstairs actors play Wink Murder during their downtime. What do the downstairs actors do?] We're far crazier. We have break-dance and body-popping competitions on the big servants' table. Jim Carter, he's an amazing breaker. We're like, "Go, Carson. Go, Carson."
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