Quotes from Tom Ellis

I think about the movie 'Jaws.' They had this state-of-the-art animatronic shark, but it kept breaking down, which kept delaying the filming. So, they had to use it very sparingly, but it became why the film was so good because you never saw the shark. You only heard about it, and it was suggested.

I'm not a blokey bloke. I don't take myself too seriously. But that doesn't stop me being a bad person sometimes and doing things I regret. Such as having a child with someone you've split up with, then falling in love and wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone else. That's quite difficult.

When you're a drama student, I think the most you hope for is to make a living out of acting.

'Rush' was an interesting experience for me because I loved that show, and I loved playing that part, and most people I spoke to who watched it really enjoyed it.

Pilot season's such a strange time. You get such a concentrated amount of scripts. A lot of them become white noise after a while. When something really pops, it becomes apparent very quickly. I'm quite instinctive about that. I know, normally by about 10 pages in, whether I want to do something or not.

We're characters not of this world, so our knowledge about stuff, that other character's don't have, is quite fun.

The weird thing about drama school is that you train for three years for one thing, and then, more often than not, it's something that you haven't trained for that you end up doing.

Oysters are the devil's food. Not a fan!

I turn to my wife for everything. Her success has never affected her as a person - she's incredibly loyal. We laugh together; we share everything, and she still surprises me. When I saw her in 'Sweet Charity,' I was so proud to say, 'That's my wife.'

Both my daughters are both so unimpressed when they see me on television. I want them to say, 'Oh, Dad!' But I say, 'Who's that?' and they say 'Dad' with no real interest, even if I'm wearing a long wig and riding on a horse! I think I'll have to read a 'CBeebies' bedtime story instead.

For the show, it's really important that we remember that Lucifer is the Devil. It's important for Lucifer sometimes to remember that he's the Devil: to keep the notion that he is a wild animal that is seemingly being tamed but, at any moment, could snap.

In terms of, like, getting into a mindset, I use music all the time when I'm working.

I had been quite judicious about the scripts I was reading, but nothing was really taking my fancy until I pulled this script out: 'Lucifer.' I have to say, within about three or four pages, I thought it was hilarious; I laughed out loud a couple of times and knew this is the one that I wanted to do.

What people like to comment on a lot is that I grew up in a religious family; my father is a pastor, and now I'm playing the devil. Thankfully, my family see the humorous side of the job.

My life changed in 2005 on the day I met my wife, Tamzin. She was in a play called 'Breathing Corpses' with James McAvoy, one of my best mates from drama school. I knew who she was, and I'd fancied her quite a bit when she played Melanie Owen in 'EastEnders.'

Every time I get in an Uber in L.A., they're like, 'Oh, great accent. Are you from Australia?' I constantly have to repeat myself when I'm in North America because no one understands a word I'm saying.

When you have hardcore fans of something like 'Miranda,' people can't see you any other way than Gary Preston, which is fair enough.

When I was eight or nine, I came to London for the day from Swindon and went to The National Gallery. I remember standing in Trafalgar Square with my best friend Tim, who was covered in pigeons because I put bird seed on his head.

As an actor, I enjoy variety. That's a big thing for me. So, if I'm going to put my name to something and commit to something that's going to take up a lot of my time, it has to be something that I know is going to be enjoyable and worth my while. Otherwise, what's the point?

My take on 'Lucifer' was pretty much laid down by Tom Kapinos when he wrote the original pilot script for it. I remember reading it for the first time, and I was about four or five pages in, thinking this is so funny, and I know how I would want to do this if I was going to do it.

I walk in, and people go, 'Oh, look who it is! It's the devil! Speak of the devil!' It's fun. I'm having a lot of fun. I'm not going to lie. It's a little bit like being able to say anything you want to and getting away with it. 'Rush' was fun because he thought he was immortal, but this is more fun because Lucifer is immortal.

I have a transient lifestyle. America is where I come to work, but my home is London. I like being bi-continental.

My mum was a music teacher. I've got three sisters, and we all played instruments when we were kids.

To be in a show like 'Miranda' that captures everyone's imagination is amazing, but it's hard when people can't see beyond that. I started travelling to North America because 'Miranda' was so popular in the U.K.; I always knew I wanted to challenge myself and not go for the obvious roles.