My black hero is and always will be Martin Luther King, not just because of the strength of his oratory but because his vision was very much the reality that I'd come to take for granted.

We all have insecurities, but some of us are better at covering them up.

After 'Homeland,' I was offered a lot of very authoritarian, square, angry boss types, but I wanted to do something different. Casting directors are surprised when they look at my CV and see all the work I've done, from Shakespeare to playing Nelson Mandela.

If you don't register to vote, politicians don't really care about you: politicians aren't really caring about what you have to say, what you have to do, anything.

I like America; I enjoy being there. Some people can't stand the insincerity - I love the waiter asking me how my day has been, the can-do culture there. I love the fact that again, you are visible in America. You turn the TV on, there are black politicians, black policemen, black soldiers.

It's been interesting seeing how vulnerable Obama is: not the secure president I thought he was or the strong leader that many people hoped he would be. He's a conciliator. But I've been listening to the Republican primary debates, and they're a bunch of lunatics. Just crazy.

I was always the classroom clown, and the teachers allowed me a certain latitude. The assemblies were good, and the headmaster used to tell little stories; I loved the idea of communal storytelling.

The idea that people are watching me now is a bit unnerving, but I suppose it comes with the territory. It is, perhaps, the modern side of celebrity.

I was lucky to get into drama school and become a professional actor. No-one ever mentioned the colour of my skin. It's only when I came out of RADA - the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art - that I suddenly realised people started to refer to me as a black actor.

The idea that American producers and directors are choosing black British talent to save themselves a buck or two is ridiculous - it's because we're damn good.

To be on set with Tom Hiddlestone and Hugh Laurie is just fantastic. But during 'Homeland,' I was on set with Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, so I'm used to working with big hitters.

People come up and say very nice things about my work, like, 'You were great in 'Blood Diamond!'

As soon as you become of interest to the media, the charity requests start rolling in, and it's not easy saying no. But if you endorse every charity that asks you, you're not really endorsing any of them. It has to mean something.

When filming for 'Beowulf,' we were close to Hadrian's Wall; there was no phone signal, and the scenery was spectacular.

On 'Supergirl,' there are huge characters with huge mythologies behind them. What's important is that you don't lock yourself into something.

I used to read comics as a kid, and now I'm reading them for research. It's great fun. It's not bad homework.

Look what the Rumble in the Jungle did for Zaire. No one had ever heard of Zaire until then. After Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman for the title, no one forgets it.

People say, 'Where do you get your strength from?' Well, where does an ape get his strength from? They are 20 times stronger than humans, and they don't rely on a meat-based diet. They eat plants all day long. It's a myth that you need meat for strength.

Even on one leg, I thought I could knock Tony Bellew out. I was gutted when Shane McGuigan threw the towel in.

There are no shortcut to losing weight. Just hard work and dedication, hard work and dedication.

There are probably one million dudes in America called Kevin Johnson, and beating one of them doesn't make you an all-time great heavyweight.

I have always maintained you should be able to bench press and deadlift at least twice your body weight.

I've had a lot of good nights, and ideally, I don't want to be remembered for a bad night.

I want to fight who the fans who want me to fight.

I would fight till I'm dead. This is why I am here. I am put on Earth to fight. I feel it deep in my waters.

If you ever need a good steak, Stringfellows is the place to go in London.

There is no room for sentiment in a boxing ring.

It's hard to judge somebody before or after a fight. Adrenaline is flowing, and you're hyped up.

I want to leave a legacy, but to do that, I need to be on my best game.

Once you share a ring with someone, go to war with someone... you have a different type of respect for someone.

It's sad to see boxers sometimes when they've come from these massive highs with thousands of people screaming for them. They're the best at what they do - then, that's it: stopped, finished.

When someone unloads on me, I keep my head moving; I don't freeze. I punch back with them. The occasion never gets to me. Not one bit. I enjoy it.

You can't hit someone if they're holding on to you.

I've got a really canny knack for avoiding big punches or clean punches.

It's the warm-up in the changing room when I switch on. I don't even think about the fight until then. Some fighters are bouncing about the walls, but I switch off. Then it's like someone flicks a switch in me.

Boxing fans are a very cynical bunch.

I've been in the ring with the Bronze Bomber, Deontay Wilder. I've tasted his power, and he's tasted mine.

If I didn't have a great right hook, the bigger, heavier fighters would grind me down and smother me.

I've had injuries before. They are just obstacles to overcome.

Every boxer needs to be able to punch, but none more than me, and that's because I'm not that skilful, and I'm one of the smallest heavyweights you'll ever see.

That's what I actually like about boxing: no matter how well you do, you can still have a normal life.

It's always my plan to knock out my opponents.

I want to have the same success in my acting career as I did in my boxing career.

Money talks at the end of the day.

I'm going to be a movie star, break Hollywood.

Everybody wants me to finally close the curtain on the joke that is the Audley Harrison show.

The Klitschkos don't care about being great fighters, whereas I do. They may be big in Switzerland, but so are yodellers, and nobody wants to watch them fight.

The Hayemaker is a dangerous fellow who, when the bell rings, is on a seek and destroy mission, by any means necessary. No playing around. No comedy. It's just straight-up business.

Just before a fight, as the ring empties, you can feel it. There is danger and loneliness all around you. Soon it's just the three of you in there: the referee, your opponent, and you. You're in a very lonely moment then. But, strangely, that's when I feel most comfortable. The ring becomes my office, and I go to work.

It would be nice to crack America, but I need the opponent to do that. If Eddie Chambers is the best American heavyweight they can dig up, it's a very sad state of affairs.