Quotes from Lennie James

I became politicised in my mid teens, at the time of ska and 2 Tone and the Anti-Nazi League, when I'd get dressed up for a night out in my white socks and loafers, and the last thing I'd hear is, 'Have a good night - be careful of the police.'

One of the things I liked about playing Tony Gates in 'Line of Duty' was that I don't think he gave much thought to justifying his actions until he was under investigation.

Partners and mothers allow men to get away with too much.

The death penalty in the U.S. has become a political tool - and it should never be that.

I don't remember when I didn't know about Martin Luther King.

The fact that I lost my mum was horrible, and if I could change anything, I would definitely change that.

I like arriving somewhere and taking a left when someone tells you to go right. When all the tourist signs are pointing one way, it's exciting to go the other.

I read the 'Guardian,' because it's a bit like having an argument with a mate. We mostly have the same sensibilities, but where we disagree, it's infuriating.

They shut down kids' homes, for a number of reasons, and I was part of that transition into foster care. That's all well and good if it's populated by people who feel their work is paid decently and supported.

The Internet links me to friends and family around the world. Skype rocks!

I was dreading all of the ghost stories of working on American television, not in the least, the length. In Britain, a series is six episodes of an hour drama, maybe sometimes eight, but never twenty-two, so I was petrified of that.

My thing is, I like playing guys who have a really interesting internal monologue.

One of the things I learnt over the years is that there is a craft to writing, like there is a craft to acting. I hadn't done my apprenticeship as a writer. I did try to be a writer for hire but I'm not any good at it.

I owe 'Jericho' my whole time in America, really. It was a fantastic group of people to work with.

When I was growing up and watching 'The Sweeney,' the notion of police officers being an inch away from the villains that they're chasing was commonplace.

I've written virtually as long as I've acted, it wasn't a sudden transition. I acted in my first play when I was 16 and I wrote my first play when I was 17.