Do you accept the accolades though? Do you ever sit back and just say, “Yeah, I’m fucking good at my job”?

I am… Wait, I have to answer this carefully. [Long pause] I am proud of the nominations, unbelievably proud. Probably prouder than I’d care to admit a lot of the time.

There’s perhaps an assumption out there that I don’t really need it, but actors are insecure people; when someone pats you on the back and tells you that you’re good, it really bloody means a lot.

Because you don’t just walk to work and flick a switch. You do your homework, revise for the exam and if someone says, “Well done, you got an A!” it’s like [punches air] “Yeees!” It’s literally as basic as that.

It was a great quote in Vanity Fair, when you were asked if you want to win that elusive Oscar…

“You bet your fucking ass I do!” [Erupts into laughter] A lot of people think I’ve actually won. They’re like [slips into pitch-perfect LA accent], “So what did you win for?” and I’m like, “No, no, no, just let me remind you, I have this really great habit of not winning a fucking thing!” [laughs].

So you’re not like the Kate in Extras, ripping the piss out of the Academy?

Oh my god! I’m not like that at all. I mean, I have a very level head – I know that from the outside looking in it can seem extremely superficial – but it’s my peers who are voting, people who I really admire who have been around years, working really hard and forming solid opinions about films and actors and directors.

If someone like that ticks your box? It means a lot. There’s a myth about this industry being really bitchy and backbiting, but I’ll tell you now… if you’re on that red carpet with the other people you’ve been lucky enough to be nominated alongside, you all squeeze each other’s wrists and say, “Are you ok? Good luck…”  You all turn into little children, playing movie stars!

If you do win…

[Laughs] Let’s just get the films out!

Ah, c’mon… if you do win, how will you get up and face your peers? Will you make a joke of the Extras episode or pretend it never happened?

This is the moment when Kate does something that is completely unnatural to her and says, “I’m not going to answer that!” How can you expect me to answer that? You meanie!

Your acting always seems so instinctive, but talking to you today it’s quite obvious that you’re also very practical and procedural in your approach…

You know, the really honest answer is that I really don’t know. I don’t. It’s not like it’s this magical thing or a gift. It’s nothing like that. I get incredibly nervous.

The preparation side is about building a character but also about giving yourself a safety net. [Lights a cigarette] And then the trick is throwing it all away when you get there. I’ve done the homework, now I’m going to burn it. It’s about being selfless and unafraid to let a scene take you wherever it takes you.

You’ve got to keep it fresh and not ever predict how you’re going to say anything. Don’t prepare a response to another actor’s line before they’ve said it because you don’t know how they’re going to say it, from take to take.

Leo… his skill is so sharp now that he can just turn a scene on its head.