I want to be engaged and moved by theatre, there’s nothing more disappointing than being left cold. After ‘The Author,’ I felt wrung out emotionally, like a used tissue. – Samuel Barnett
I’ve definitely learned that if you want to have power as a woman in Shakespeare’s time, and it’s still relevant today, that you have to play a different game than men play, and you have to be a lot cleverer. – Samuel Barnett
The Pre-Raphaelites, while very bothered by what the establishment thought of them, also utterly rebelled against it. In everything – social, sexual, emotional – they were out on a limb, pushing the boundaries. – Samuel Barnett
Like the Elizabeth I play, Queen Elizabeth is a monarch who actually moves with the times. She gets new information, assimilates it, and changes in order the fit in with the way the world is moving. I admire that. – Samuel Barnett
My life, my family and my friends are back in the U.K., so ideally I would love the kind of career that is split between London and New York. – Samuel Barnett
Obviously we had to study Shakespeare at school, but to be honest, I was not a fan. I found the language very difficult, and I didn’t enjoy watching it or studying it. I auditioned five times for the Royal Shakespeare Company early on in my career, and I didn’t even get past the first rounds. – Samuel Barnett
I never wanted to do Shakespeare; I never liked watching it, it’s always frightened me, and I’ve never been any good at it. But I really wanted to work with the director Tim Carroll and Mark Rylance. – Samuel Barnett
I have my own faith which I’ve developed. It’s non-denominational. I don’t even know if it’s about God. – Samuel Barnett
Journalists have sometimes looked to my Twitter account and quoted me from there, and that’s fine because that’s public domain. I know exactly what I’m doing when I post something on Twitter; in a way, it’s saying, ‘This is who I am, and I don’t have anything to hide.’ – Samuel Barnett
I feel like I’ve gotten more than a lot of people will ever get. I feel very fortunate. – Samuel Barnett
Are men and women different creatures? Do we feel things differently? Being a man, I can’t know what a woman feels. – Samuel Barnett
In New York, I get people coming up to me because ‘The History Boys’ was such a hit on Broadway, and they show the film all the time on cable over there, so people recognise you. – Samuel Barnett
This industry isn’t fair. It doesn’t owe anybody a career. It’s just about luck, determination, and showing up and being professional. The rest is out of your hands. – Samuel Barnett
I have been out of drama school for 13 years, so there are 13 years’ worth of graduates behind me. – Samuel Barnett
Acting is a sport – especially working with Mark Rylance. There is competition involved. I have to be muscular, challenging, get audiences on side. It’s extraordinary how Globe audiences join in – it’s like competing at an event – I love it. – Samuel Barnett
It’s like saying French shouldn’t be taught because you don’t understand it because it’s new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language. – Samuel Barnett
I guess I’ve grown to admire Queen Elizabeth II more. I’ve always struggled with my feelings about the Royal Family. I am a supporter. I’m not someone who thinks we should get rid of them. But what I’ve struggled with is the lack of emotionality that the Queen seems to share. – Samuel Barnett
I really admire paintings that look like an actual snapshot – I think that’s just extraordinary. – Samuel Barnett
I hope it’s always going to be a mix between theatre, film and radio. I’ve been very lucky living in London that you can do all that – in New York and L.A., there’s more of a structure for film in L.A. and theatre in New York. In London, our industry is smaller, but it produces brilliant work all in one place. – Samuel Barnett
With Millais’s paintings, it’s microscopic; when he does hair, it’s extraordinary: you can see every strand. – Samuel Barnett
