Joe Dempsie

Casting young people is always so difficult, and they got it so right in 'Game of Thrones.' All the young actors are amazingly talented and so professional.

Self-consciousness can destroy a performance. Getting rid of that is always good.

HBO spent a huge amount of money on 'Game Of Thrones,' and it won't be able to keep spending the money if it can't make it back from people watching it legitimately. It will have an effect on the quality of the programme.

It's bizarre, that feeling as an actor, at being in the mecca of the film world and seeing billboards for a TV show that you're in pretty much everywhere.

I still don't get stopped about anything else anywhere near as much as 'Skins.' The remarkable thing that I've noticed is how far that show has traveled: it's aired all over the world.

When I was cast as Gendry, I didn't have any of the physical attributes the part required. I was astounded that I got the role, to be honest.

There are dedicated actors and there are people now who only stay famous for putting on weight, losing it, then putting it on again.

I enjoyed acting at school and went to an acting workshop for kids in Nottingham. It was twice a week after school and free to go to - ITV subsidised it. Every now and again, a casting director would turn up. 'Peak Practice' became a rite of passage for us. It was the first job I had.

America has always fascinated me; it's a country where you can make it from one side to the other with no money, by hook or by crook.

That's been one of the best things about doing 'Game of Thrones.' My social circle in London has more or less doubled just by doing it because nearly everyone is based in London. And I hadn't long moved to London before doing it, so it's been really great in terms of meeting people to hang out with while I'm there.

I admire actors that consistently challenge themselves and play a wide range of different roles. Every actor has a reason for being an actor... it's boring to play the same person over and over again. People like Daniel Day Lewis, who completely transform time and time again, I look up to.

Skins' had been a brilliant breeding ground for young actors, young directors and young writers. It was a safe environment to experiment; it tried new things, and it was an amazing time and amazing to be part of it.