Well, obviously, as soon as I'd finished the script I read a lot of books on Winston Churchill, and started to gain weight and really prepare emotionally, mentally and physically for the role.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I took the role because it's rare to read a script that makes me laugh and cry, and it spoke to my own religious feelings, as well as giving me a chance to draw on my experience as a parent. Accepting it was a no-brainer.
I'm just a hired actor who was hired for a particular job, but I think one of the joys of reading the script was the way that the personal and the global are woven together.
I'm probably one of the worst actors as far as preparation goes, because I actually don't prepare. I find it easier to read the script and whatever hits me in my stomach, like deep down, I just go with it. And the director kind of molds me whether to go right or left with it.
When I start thinking about a role, I read the script a few times and then let it sink in - and then take some time to develop how that character is going to play out and what he's going to do.
If I ever wrote a script myself, it would be strongly emotional material.
I don't prepare for anything very well. I am not a good actor. I don't read scripts.
At this point, I'm happy to be part of something special. As an actor I liked to choose scripts that I'm passionate about.
I'm doing another Churchill. I did a Churchill for HBO and that was up to 1939 and there's talk of the war years. They were going to do it this fall, but the script wasn't going to be ready.
I'm the only one responsible for the choices I make and the opportunities I get. When you read the script, you don't know how it's going to shape up. You just know what you've been narrated.
For me, my first hearing of the script matters. It has to excite me as an actor and as an audience.