Geoffrey Rush

I don't like the ocean. I'm not a natural swimmer, even though I come from Australia. That' a terrible thing to say. ”

I enjoy roles that involve a task outside of my natural capabilities - for example, playing a number of musical instruments or sword fighting or cutting a suit. You have to look as though you can do it, without too much editing. ”

When people come to me and tell me I was terrific in this or that, I do not want to fall flat on my face the next time. But, tough, I have fallen flat before. You just get up and dust yourself off. ”

Within our culture, every school has a swimming pool. We lived on the coast. People swam in the surf. It's a very sporty nation and at that particular time anyone who had an artistic bent was very much an outsider. So if you liked reading or ideas or playing the piano then your dad viewed you as a sissy, basically. ”

I live in Australia, and I am Australian, and because I grew up in an era where we didn't have a film industry, and now we do, it's just really exciting for me to be able to say that I work in my own culture in a medium that I find fascinating. ”

It's nice going to work and not having to always get on a plane to do it. ”