Tom Bateman

I got in so much trouble when I was doing 'Snatched' in Hawaii.

Jekyll is quite me: young man; polite. But being able to play Hyde was quite fun, to create a character that's nothing like me. I quite enjoyed creating a new character like that: he had a different voice; physicality; mannerisms. Everything had to be thought about. It was a real challenge.

I remember when I was younger, we used to read the Goosebumps books that were absolutely terrifying.

Maybe it's a bit snobby, but it's as if you're a proper actor if you do stage.

My mum asked me what I prefer, and I said, 'I never miss film, but I miss theater.'

For actors, the idea is that you convince people you're someone you're not.

Actually, competitiveness was never part of our upbringing.

There isn't an actor alive who hasn't been turned down, and I promise you I have taken a hell of a lot of rejection. That said, I do count my blessings every day.

I don't miss working on camera as much as theatre. But I do love film and television because it's so immediate; you walk on to a set and the tables are dusty, and everything's as it should be.

I'd love to meet Shakespeare. I've done so much research on him and there are so many unanswered questions.

Me being able to trash hotel rooms on set means I don't do it in real life.

It's awful because if you have a blessed life like me, where I've been so lucky, you end up saying things like, 'Oh, my God. I was just playing hide-and-seek with Penelope Cruz.'