I also respond very strongly to characters I have not done before ... something I can really sink my teeth into, and what's scary, and what terrifies me, because that's where I need to go.

Sometimes I read a script and it's obvious from early on that it's one where the suspension of disbelief has to develop strongly from page one. Some are more reality-based.

But this time, because of the lockout, we had the whole year to sink our teeth into it. We discussed it with players, coaches, refs and managers, and this was [the edict] to come down.

But this time, because of the lockout, we had the whole year to sink our teeth into it. We discussed it with players, coaches, refs and managers, and this was (the edict) to come down.

I hadn't read the novel Bleak House . I'd read Dickens, but not this novel. I'd read several of his great novels, though I think it's different if you read them when you're young. You appreciate the storytelling, the stand-out characters, but you don't appreciate his ability as a writer, the depth of his humanity. He writes about everything, the rich, the poor, the prisons, the law courts, the country houses, the orphans and the families. I read the script for Bleak House and I was tentative about it. I'd told the producers, 'I don't do television.' But they charmed me and I did actually read the novel. I was captivated.

This is his first chance to really sink his teeth into an offense and be ready to go. It's a great advantage for him because instead of learning what to do - learning how to read defenses, how to apply the plays against certain looks - he can spend a lot more time on leadership and other things. It takes a lot of time to learn all that stuff.