If you're going to perform, you're going to attract criticism. You can't please everyone all the time. You don't know how things are going to come out. But that's part of the fun of it, the adventure of doing any kind of art.

At school, I was bored with the teachers, and there were moments where I felt they were singling me out.

I'm really grateful for the fact that I have full artistic control over my career. I can choose what film or TV projects I'm interested in doing.

Normally, with stand-up, it's quite solitary, you write the material on your own, you perform it on your own, it's all very much on you. Your own thoughts. You have to sort of modulate your own performance.

I did standup comedy. I opened once for Jay Leno.

You would think doing comedy would be nerve wracking, but punting and kicking footballs gets me more nervous.

Ninety-eight per cent of laughter is nothing to do with jokes, which do not deserve to bear the weight of all the funny stuff in the world.

I joke about it being a millstone, but it never hurts to have a name that sticks out.