And people do enjoy the plays at completely different levels. And, likewise, they enjoy the authorship question . . . at completely different levels.

In terms of pure acting, it's a gift.

And it is a very beautiful idea, and possibly true, that a common man from Stratford with a common education was able to write these plays.

But I don't sit down at dinner and have clever ideas.

Great actors try to dismiss all ideas from their conscious mind in order to provide an experience that is real.

But to me I find Francis Bacon the most likely candidate to be the author.

Burleigh, absolutely; and a lot about Elizabeth. I mean I found when I play Henry V a lot of connections with the hidden history of the connection between Francis Bacon and Elizabeth.

I think the most absolute truth is only as good as the time that it's told. It's only as good as where the person, the receiver of that, is.

I think that was very important to Bacon . . . personally. I think he went to great efforts to get a house for the Stratford man, to make it so difficult for us to prove that it was Francis Bacon, because it is very difficult to prove.