Ioan Quotes
Quotes attributed to Ioan Gruffudd will appear in this topic, which will be locked. The topic below is for discussion of the quotes, so please cut and paste your chosen quote to discuss :cool: Please feel free to submit your favourite Ioan quotes, too! Also, if anyone feels any quotes are not from Ioan, please contact an Administrator. :The General:

Ioan on Himself:- I'm determined not to lose my name. It's who I am. It has neither aided my progress nor hampered it. It's just who I am. My character. My make-up. My culture and heritage is a very rich one. So what if it's difficult for people to pronounce? We all learned how to say Schwarzenegger. In the past, I have felt slightly pigeon-holed with the success of roles like Hornblower, all ruffled shirts and wonderful costumes. I think Lancelot was the turning point because he's more masculine, more dangerous, which goes hand in hand with me growing older. I want longevity, so I'm always trying to escape the way I'm perceived - you know, Ioan the soft-spoken Welshman. I was probably doing more to pigeonhole myself as a Welshman and a Welsh actor than anyone else! A lot of the stuff I said in the past sounded defensive - a young man's ideals about who I am and where I'm from. I realize I don't have to force that on people, but just use it as a safety net, to stride out into the world knowing that I have a strong sense of identity. Because we're all landlocked in this nation together and we should be celebrating it. Being attractive, it's not something I do consciously. It's incredibly flattering that people think I appeal to women. But that was a gift from my parents. My acting, my personality - that's what it's about. As a teacher's child, I found that automatic respect for authority wasn't necessarily a good thing. My philosophy was all about pleasing everyone and getting it right, rather than challenging and asking questions. It's only now I'm getting the confidence to do that because, in America, they're not scared as a nation to ask questions and have a really heated debate. As an actor, you have to admit you are a show-off. But with so many magazines like Heat, it's diminishing the mystery of going to see somebody on the big screen. The less you know about somebody the better. As an actor, you have to love every character you've played. I'm proud of what I've done here. I admitted a long time ago that I wanted to go to Hollywood because there are more opportunities there, and I wanted to work in movies. Movies are my first love. And that's why I went. I don't feel any added pressure, because I've already admitted it in the first place. It's a nice feeling having people support you because you are a British actor trying to become an international star. I don't feel the pressure myself. You have to understand that obviously the way you look is influencing the casting. Not to sound vain, but you have to have a third eye looking at yourself objectively, asking why you're being cast in these roles. It would be mad not to realize this. I can't change the way I look, and people seem to think it works for the leading man, and I rather enjoy that. As long as you understand that you find happiness through family, friends and love, then money is just a nice bonus. They say the most successful people are the ones who have failed more than they have succeeded.

Ioan on Hornblower:- The arses on the trousers aren't very tight. They're very loose and baggy and I like tight trousers. And the shoes - the shoes have got a bit of a heel, and it's a strange sensation for a man. Especially when you're running. (He mimes a mincing trot.) "I am mighty Hornblower! Watch me run like a girl!" I think people are attracted to the character because he's not a hero in the traditional sense. He's not a natural leader, he's just a young man with a very bright mind. He's compassionate, he hates injustice and he will stand up and fight when he's pushed to the limit. I would love to play this character through every stage of his life. I think it would be unique to have an actor playing him from the very early days as a midshipman; through till he's an Admiral. So, I would love to play this character till he perishes.

Ioan on The Future:- "There are so many brilliant stories in Welsh literature and folklore that I'd love to do one day on the big screen. But those are way in the future. At the moment, I'm just enjoying the fact that this journey of being an actor and this ambition of wanting to work in Hollywood - and be a player - is starting to come to fruition." (Brisbane Times, May 2007)