Top 33 Tom Payne Quotes

I just wanted to be part of telling a good story that shocks people.

I did a movie called ‘Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,’ which had Frances McDormand and Amy Adams in it. It was Focus Features, an American company, and I used that as my ticket into America.

I’ve lived in California for years.

The right thing is to look after people and women and women’s rights to their own bodies.

I’m definitely an animal lover.

I never believe it when people claim they knew they wanted to be actors when they were 4 or 5 years old. I think that’s rubbish. When you’re that age, you just like showing off.

My whole life has changed in the last three years and The Walking Dead’ is no small part of that. It’s changed my life and will continue to do so.

I have no wish to go back to being frustrated by a character. It’s really just part of being on an ongoing series. You’re constantly hoping the next episode you get, something will happen for you. You’re on the edge of your seat all the time, pressing your hands together and hoping that something cool will turn up.

If they did recast the Wolverine part, I’d be well up for it.

There aren’t that many actors with hair like this. And Amazon are casting Aragorn and they’re doing Interview with the Vampire’ on Hulu, so there’s all these good jobs.

One thing I love about America is that I’m not boxed in by my upbringing here. England is still so class-based that there are certain roles that I just won’t go for. I’m a middle-class boy and I won’t go for the scruffy working-class role, which is frustrating, and here I can play anything.

I’m not really a dreamer, but I do believe you can do anything you want to do and make a success of it.

It’s possible to shoot two TV shows. It’s absolutely possible, it’s not something I would choose to do. It does sound completely miserable.

Never in my life did I think I would be walking down the street and people would shout ‘Jesus!’ at me in the street. It’s quite amusing.

There’s no way I can grow a Jesus beard in a week.

I was a gymnast when I was younger but sadly didn’t really keep it up with age.

I went on Skins’ when I was 23, and everyone else was about 17. It was like being back at school.

When you have that fake beard and stuff stuck on your face, you can’t move your face. It’s just not fun.

If you want to succeed, you have to take the necessary risks and the occasional leap in the dark.

Well, conventions are so cool, because I just feel like I’m giving out smiles all day, it’s so fun, and you get people who are hysterically crying.

‘Downton Abbey’ is my worst nightmare. I just hate that whole ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ thing, I think it’s really lazy and it doesn’t represent England, it’s this postcard view.

Honestly, a lot of the time, I’m like, ‘Oh, my god, I’ve got so many lines to learn,’ that I have to focus and get in into a bit of a zone, but there are always moments to have some fun.

I can’t remember what episode it is but there’s an episode of Prodigal Son’ where I wake up in my underwear and, you can see, I can put the beef on!

All great leaders choose great advisors, people they really trust for their governance.

I used to love auditioning. I loved going into the room and meeting casting directors.

I have a new appreciation for how fit martial artists are. There is so much energy being exerted when you fight.

I think one of the reasons why The Walking Dead’ has been such a successful show is that Andrew Lincoln led that show so incredibly well, from the front, and treated everyone so amazingly, behind the scenes and in public.

When I was on ‘The Walking Dead,’ I was working with some great actors, but I wasn’t working very much. It wasn’t stretching me very much.

When you don’t know how to fight you tend to put all your energy into one punch. That will tire you out quickly. You learn to keep energy in reserve and use your body in an efficient manner.

When I was about 6 years old, I got dragged into an audition for the school play. A teacher thought it would be good for me because I liked to perform and show off.

I was in this motorcade, and I was like, I’m with Michael Mann and Nick Nolte and I’m in a TV show. Oh, my God!’

I had been working in England since 2005 when I left drama school.

I wasn’t thinking about awards or becoming rich. I just wanted to be able to make my living by working as an actor.