I had been a reporter for 15 years when I set out to write my first novel. I knew how to research an article or profile a subject - skills that I assumed would be useless when it came to fiction. It was from my imagination that the characters in my story would emerge.

The costume that I wear on the show is a little snug and doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. I don't have a problem with it because of the way this character's been written.

They are imaginary characters. But perhaps not solely the products of my imagination since there are some aspects of the characters that relate to my own experience of a wide variety of people.

There's the argument that you can relate to someone who's completely unrelatable. In the way that a director shows you his imagination on a film then I get to show you my imagination in a big dumb character.

Sometimes a character is really based on research that you do. Other times it's just based on your imagination or perhaps your conversation with the director. Or sometimes all of the above. It depends on the movie and character.

The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative Imagination Individuality and Independence.

Well I'm not a method actress by any stretch of the imagination so the best thing that I can do is be as real as possible and find whatever commonality in that character that I can see myself.

If we divine a discrepancy between a man's words and his character the whole impression of him becomes broken and painful he revolts the imagination by his lack of unity and even the good in him is hardly accepted.

It's a slight stretch of the imagination but most people are alike in most ways so I've never had any trouble identifying with the character that I'm playing.

I think what's really the most ideal thing is for the player themselves within their own imagination to carve out what they view as being the essence of the character.