Tahar Rahim quotes:

We're seeing TV series that are as good as movies were in the '70s and '80s - shows like 'The Wire,' 'The Sopranos' and 'Breaking Bad.'

At the end of the day, I remain a country boy inside.

We need prisons because there are some hardcore criminals, but I never met a guy who has been in jail that came out with a smile on his face thinking, 'Right, that's it - now I am going to be good!'

I'd rather have one good scene in a movie by a great director than a small role in a mediocre movie.

In my town, and especially in my area, there were people from everywhere: Algerians, Senegalese, French people, Asians, all kinds of immigrants and natives, and everyone circulated.

I'm an actor, full stop. Not an Arab actor. Not an actor of Algerian origin. Just an actor.

I dont spend much time on Twitter. I joined because I found it funny.

Im an actor, full stop. Not an Arab actor. Not an actor of Algerian origin. Just an actor.

I don't know how to get bored. I need to learn to rest.

I like films to be pure cinema, but I also like them to provide a snapshot of a family, a society or a character - something that can nourish you as a human being as well as an actor.

With 'Eagle of the Ninth,' every shot was extremely planned and organized. The director was like, 'Do this!' And I say, 'How was it?' and he says, 'Good.' It was very odd. I would never know where he was headed, or even if he was shooting me at a close-up or from a distance.

I knew Id have to go to Paris eventually, and I didnt want to be the provincial kid who just turns up and says, I want to act.

I recall the first time my agent told me to wear clothes specifically chosen for me, I would try and find excuses not to do it.

What is art? Art talks about life; it's subversive.

I love fashion as an art; I love fashion as costume, as a character. I don't like dictates and the phoniness of appearance.

Everybody is not completely traumatised by their life.

I dont know how to get bored. I need to learn to rest.

I learned to walk on my own legs, to dive so deeply into a role to forget that Im acting.

I sometimes feel that racism is getting worse.