Antony Sher

If I could write a letter to my teenage self, I'd probably say something like: 'You ain't gonna believe what will become of you.' ”

The whole of my acting career is a bit of a mystery to me. ”

Most of my career has been spent with the RSC doing Shakespeare, and the thing you learn from Shakespeare is that his historical plays don't bear anything other than a basic resemblance to history. ”

What drew me to acting in the first place was disguise. ”

I feel so sorry for younger actors who aren't able to have the opportunities that I had, starting out in repertory theatre. It's really tough on young actors now. ”

I was a weak kid, not good at what all the boys at school were good at and I found that by acting, by being other people, I could liberate myself from those inadequacies. ”

I'm always very proud of belonging to three minorities: gay, Jewish, white South African. ”

I believe deeply in therapy. There's no one in the world who wouldn't benefit from it. ”

I'm a huge fan of David Hockney. I love the way he keeps reinventing himself. ”

I love the mixture that's in me. It makes me me. And that's why it's such a shame that people waste energy in denying who they are. ”