That's the great thing about university: you've got people around you who are taking a risk and trying things out themselves. It gives you the confidence to try and take it to the next step, which was drama school.
I studied law, I got an alright degree, and then I was going to go and do something called an LPC, which is a Legal Practice Course, which qualifies you as a lawyer. But I didn't end up doing it, because I went to drama school instead.
Those two years at drama school were nutty and weird. I didn't love it at all - I loved my class; I have so many great friends from that time - but I learned less. I just learned more of what I didn't like.
In my first year at drama school, I did this kids' show called 'Let's See.'
I graduated in 1930 and I went up to the Yale Drama School for two years.
I didn't go to drama school, so I didn't really have many true friends in the business; 'Game Of Thrones' has definitely brought me that.
Even at drama school if there was a part of some eastern European thug it would be me.
But I didn't really enjoy my secondary education that much, probably because I am a very physical person and don't enjoy sitting at a desk all day. I just dragged myself through GCSE and A Levels, so it suited me very much to go on to drama school, which was very active.
I'd been gearing up to working in theatre since coming out of drama school, but it was an exciting time for TV drama - it was the birth of Channel 4, and Brookside was very cutting-edge at the time.
I got into university to study graphic design, and I got into drama school as well, so I had the choice whether I wanted to go down the sensible route or if I wanted to become an actor.
