Trivia

He was down to the last two for the part of Withnail in Withnail et moi (1987) with Richard E. Grant but he told his agent he did not want the part because he could not relate to the character properly.

He is the only actor to have appeared in both Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990) and Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996). He played Rosencrantz in the former and Laertes in the latter. In Branagh's theatre spoof Au beau milieu de l'hiver (1995), his character Joe Harper directed an amateur version of "Hamlet" and played the title role.

He has played three British Prime Ministers: John Major in Margaret (2009), Sir Robert Peel in Victoria : Les Jeunes Années d'une reine (2009) and Edward Heath in The Crown.