“As a kid growing up, I put a lot of pressure on myself.”

“I bring a copy of 'Dracula' with me wherever I go, the book. It's my favorite book in the world, it's absolutely incredible. My great-great grandfather was the guy who printed the first edition, so he's the first person to ever put 'Dracula' on the written page.”

“I couldn't even get an audition for network TV at home in Ireland.”

“I make it my business to see or do something cultural in every place I go to. If you don't, you'll get into a state of constant despair.”

“I originally got into this because of a five-year-old's begrudgery of his teacher. Mrs. Lawlor cast me as a tree, and I was disgusted. I was sure I had more to offer than that. It was like, 'OK, if you want me to be set dressing, fine, I'll take it on the chin but I'll show you - I'm going to be a big actor some day.'”

“I was always a big fan of Charlie Chaplin movies. I love 'The Great Dictator' and 'City Lights.'”

“I was an only child until I was 14, and there were no other kids around the area really. So I spent a lot of time on my own in the fields or by the lake, with just my imagination for company. I suppose I never wanted to let that part of me go.”

“I went up for the first time when I was 18. It's a great place - I love L.A.; I mean, in Ireland it just rains all the time, it's crap weather, so it's nice to go to L.A. where it's just sunshine every day, and then it's kinda easier to live a kinda healthy lifestyle.”

“I'd love to do a film with Michael Fassbender. He's one of my heroes. I think he's absolutely amazing and I would love to do a project with him.”

“If I'm brave, 99% of it comes from my mother.”

“If you have an opportunity to reach people on a broad scale, it's not enough to just entertain people. You have to take responsibility. You has to do something substantial. Otherwise you're squandering what you have.”

“In terms of doing another franchise after 'Transformers,' I don't know if that would be best for me. I'm really happy to inhabit the world of independent film.”

“My favorite thing about New York is the view, the skyline.”

“My least favorite thing about New York is probably the traffic. I hate it. The people are such aggressive drivers here, they're horrible.”

“So many Irish actors overplay that modesty because they're afraid people will judge them and say, 'The state of yer man, he thinks he's great,' or whatever.”

“'Star Wars' was something that I was definitely interested in. Whether or not I was really involved isn't something that I should probably disclose.”

“The first movie I really clicked with was 'Die Hard' when I was 6 years old, which is crazy that I was watching it that young. That was the one that made me want to become an actor.”

“There's nothing wrong with giving yourself a pat on the back. If you can't do that, you can't be objective about your work. You can't be conceited or cocky either, but you can't be too modest either.”

“'Transformers' gives people the ability to relax and rest for three hours. That's a substantial amount of time, given how plugged in to our devices we are. People don't give themselves enough time to sit down. They're no longer comfortable with themselves.”

“When I meet someone who I really admire, I enjoy nothing more than trying to connect with them and asking them about their career. I want to know who the people are behind the performances and how they relate to their performances. But it's maybe not as novel as it once was.”

“When I was a little, little kid, my family got a new washing machine, and they had a big box that was left over. So I cut a big hole in the box, and I made it like a giant TV set. I brought it into the living room, and I did the news and the weather for my family.”

“With 'Richard,' I was excited to make this film with such an amazing role for an actor. Play a wide range of emotion and really invest myself in the character.”

“With 'Transformers,' I'm going to get to drive fast cars and have a lot of fun. That's what appeals to me about it. I want to have as much fun as possible.”