I think most five-foot-two people would be quite offended if they were to be called dwarves.

Tolkien was, I believe, writing about his experience in the First and Second World Wars, where he would have spent a lot of time without any female contact. He was part of the fellowship of men who went to war, and I think, really, that's what he's writing about.

As an actor, you're like, 'Yeah, I want that phone call from Peter Jackson saying, 'You're my first choice for Thorin Oakenshield.'

The interesting roles have only come since I got into my 30s. But I didn't know that was going to happen.

In school, I was a beanpole with a nose I hadn't grown into.

Small, slow growth is the best I expect from an investment. I'm a real saver: frugal - like my parents.

Being thought of as sexy makes one employable, but it's not going to last forever, so I try not to think about it. It's like something that exists outside of me.

Give me a character that has an heroic quality, and I'll go there.

I'd like a bit of a crack at some kind of anarchic comedy, but whether or not I'm skillful enough at it all, we'll see.

I wouldn't even dare to sing like Ed Sheeran.

Te Papa Museum is brilliant.

Often you find the character through the things they say. How they talk about other people, how they describe themselves - which is very rare.

I'm looking forward to getting fat and old.

I'm not a massive fan of 3D. I've seen some good 3D, and I've seen quite a lot of bad 3D. I think if a film is created for the shock effect of 3D, then it's a certain type of film that I'm not massively bothered about.

I want to live in Middle-earth, actually.

It fills me with dismay sometimes when you look at the scripts that do come to you that are primarily focused on violence. There are so many other things to play around with.

Tolkien made dwarf sign language because, you know, it's too loud to talk in the mines.

Everyone loves a good baddie.

People like continuity, and the good old cliffhanger every week is something they enjoy. I enjoy it - I don't want to dip into just one episode when I turn on the TV.

I'm a late developer in everything. I have a fast mind and fast metabolism, and I'm an intense worker, but in terms of life development, I'm way behind.

The scariest stunt I've ever done was on 'Captain America.' We were doing some underwater sequence. I was in a submarine, and Chris Evans had to break the glass, and the water had to fill up quickly in the submarine.

I can work hard and be disciplined like a soldier, but I could never reach their level of fitness.

I try to keep at a non-obsessive level of fitness. It's not about looking great, it's about just feeling good. So I do a lot of yoga. Bikram just blows my mind. It's mental as well as physical; if I don't train, I get very depressed.

I have an accountant, obviously, because I'm self employed, and I use an independent financial adviser. I trust my accountant because we have worked together for a long time now.