Ben Mendelsohn

I think it's that thing of growing up all the time watching American movies and listening to American music. It hits you in a way that's a lot purer because you are not in that culture that you're watching. ”

The people that impress me are Bob Dylan. The ones who keep working, year in and year out, and keep coming up with stuff. ”

I never felt like someone who was boyish and coming to terms with asking girls out or anything like that, which was what 'The Big Steal' and 'Spotswood' were about. But I guess that's the impression I left on people. ”

I like to call up ghosts of things past for myself when I'm working a lot. ”

I've spent various periods of my career being thought of as various things, various degrees of substance and ideas. ”

One of my earlier films is 'Quigley Down Under.' That was early on in my career, and that was horsey. ”

I had a pretty good career at home. What keeps you going is not having a plan B. It's a very good thing. I think if I had a viable plan B, I might not have kept going. ”

The thing about home is that it's a tough place to sustain a career, just by dent of the size of the place. I had about as good a run there as anybody, but it's still a tough ask. I mean, the person I think with the best career in Australia is Ray Meagher, in 'Home and Away.' ”

I got the first job and kept going. Once I got a job, I very much wanted to keep getting jobs, basically. I did try to learn what I could in those first couple of decades. ”

At 15 I had moved out of my parents' place, and my options were looking pretty narrow. But I had this acting thing and I just wanted to be able to keep going because it was really good. That was all I wanted. ”