Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Books are my weakness.
I've been a lucky boy.
I never quite toed the line.
I always wanted to be an actor.
I'm shocked at being recognized.
Everything's so accelerated now.
I was never very happy at school.
I'm a huge fan of Eighties music.
I was a pretty difficult teenager.
I don't know much about my biological background.
I haven't done as many films as I would have liked.
I would like to do something modern and possibly funny.
I don't think many people get to play big emotions in life.
When it is good, theatre takes a lot of beating both to watch and perform.
The female attention I have to struggle hardest with is from my two-year-old daughter.
I'm sure I wouldn't have been asked to judge the Man Booker if it weren't for 'Downton.'
Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are the most popular shows we have.
All my early school reports from the age of 5 were 'Daniel must learn not to distract others.'
It's nice to get your glad rags on for awards like the Baftas, but it doesn't happen all the time.
What was interesting was talking to older gay men about what it was like being gay in the Eighties.
I want to spend as much time as I can with my family, yet I'm aware of having to bring home the bacon.
I don't think there's ever a right time to have kids. I'm actually pretty glad it's happened quite young.
I've never been a fan of directors who clutter a piece with all sorts of crazy preconceptions or weird ideas.
I've had to learn when not to tweet. Like, you learn how to keep your mouth shut? Learn to keep your tweet shut.
Coming back to theatre is something I'm keen to do for the rest of my life. It recharges my batteries, so to speak.
It's the challenge of trying to evoke any kind of sympathy for a role that ordinarily we would say, "Oh, this is a bad guy" and dismiss him.
People look at me, they know I've appeared in costume dramas and they automatically assume I must be a Tory, I must be a certain type of person.
I don't see money or a particular status as an actor as a goal, but I want to do the best work I can in as interesting a range of roles as I can.
You do feel a certain obligation to shows that raise your profile like 'Downton' has. But there are definitely other exciting opportunities out there.
Family is hugely important to me. Having kids is the best possible way to shake off any kind of darkness that might accompany a role that you're playing.
The comfort zone is the great enemy to creativity; moving beyond it necessitates intuition, which in turn configures new perspectives and conquers fears.
There is great worth in holding universal truths and timelessly beautiful words in your heart, which will stay there forever, infusing your thoughts and speech.
I do listen to a lot of music. Actually, I very often ask directors if they can offer up a play list. They very often have one anyway that they're listening to.
Oh, it is quite possible that none of us in 'Downton' will ever again get the ratings this has had. But from a career point of view, it has opened so many doors.
You can be romantically interested in someone and love them and still, I think, be really interested in things and a certain lifestyle that person might provide.
It's great when somebody is able to communicate an actual shot sequence to you and you know the world you're inhabiting with that. It's literally a haunting tune.
In the 21st century, I think it's fair to say, homosexuality is more accepted in Britain and it's wonderful that my generation has been able to grow up with that.
"I've never see you do something like this before and I'd love to see you try." For a young actor, that's about the most exciting thing that anyone can say to you.
Not a lot of people would think that I spent most of my early years totally rebelling against anything I could, getting suspended from school, going on demonstrations.
I'm shocked at being recognized. You go to places you don't think you would be and still, you are. Taxi drivers often recognise me... but I haven't got a free ride yet.
It's head and heart. I like to feed both. I always wanted to be an actor. But the cultural-intellectual side of things has always excited me. I wouldn't want to let it go.
I'm lucky to be married to someone who entirely gets what I do. She is totally sympathetic to the actor's life. Her own mother was an actress, so she sort of grew up with it.
I never quite toed the line. I was a bit disruptive. All my early school reports from the age of 5 were 'Daniel must learn not to distract others.' And now, that's what I do for a living.
We take so many of our freedoms for granted nowadays - I can travel where I like, I can have a baby when I like, I can do any job I want - but I do think chivalry has been lost a little bit.
I've always enjoyed family movies anyway. And I grew up loving actors who could hop around and play in something very family friendly, big, playful - and then go and do drama and comedy as well.
But even writing the column for the 'Telegraph,' that idea of working to deadlines, which as an actor that's not something you have to do in the same way. It's excited me into wanting to do a bit more.
It’s not a bad lesson to learn in the bleaker months: how you view a storm is a question of perspective; provided you find the right rock to watch it from, it could be the most incredible thing you’ll ever witness.
At the age of 11 I was about 6 ft. tall and my voice had completely broken. That caused problems. I was this gangly, spotty, very unattractive kid. I wasn't cool and I wasn't a nerd. I didn't even want to fit in with anyone.
I'm amazed by just constantly - there's not a week that goes past where there's not someone in Ulan Bator or Rio De Janeiro suddenly says, 'Ooh, 'Downton' started this week.' You completely forget it's staggered across the world.
I have only recently got interested in film, and it is a strange way of working in many ways. But actually, when it is at its best, it's quite an extraordinary way of working between a director and an actor, to really explore an inner life.