Actor

When I was born in 1970 with a rare genetic disorder called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), medical science wasn't what it is today and my mum and dad were treated terribly by the medical profession.

I wouldn't change a thing about my family.

In a costume, you need very exaggerated body language - as you say, sort of mime-type skills.

So, I think I'd be grateful for the next job. I always am. And I always consider everything I do to be the last thing I do.

The world worries about disability more than disabled people do.

I'm an actor, and when I close the door at home I'm kind of off-duty.

I do a lot of public speaking and presentations and I'll always start with a self-deprecating joke to make everybody feel comfortable with my size because there can be hang-ups and anxieties.

I've found that it's actually more of a disability to be tall than short. I have no problem fitting into plane toilets etc, and the adaptations made for wheelchair users - such as the lowering of bank machines - work for me as well.

My dad instilled in me a great sense of humor. I wasn't bullied at school because my outward attitude was confident, and that helps.

My parents are both average size. For them to have a child who was very, very different and very, very small must have been incredibly hard.

When you do films that have multiple sequels, you develop a character for a film.

When I go from a role with heavy prosthetic makeup, which I've done quite a bit of as well, and then do a role where I'm not wearing any, I have to be conscious of toning everything down. Because when you're wearing prosthetic makeup, of course, you have to really move your face a lot more to convey things through the makeup.

It's interesting to see what people are saying about me. I like keep up with the latest rumors! A while back there was a rumor that I was going to do a film with Demi Moore about the takeover of Commodore computers!

You've got to love acting and that's true for me. I love the idea of getting on stage and getting in front of a camera.

Nothing's better than coming away from a film when people don't even recognize you, because you've undergone a total transformation.

To me that's part of my working day, and I would never refuse a job where I'm under several hours of makeup, because as an actor, I enjoy performing. It's about the creation of the character and the art to me, not about being comfortable and how long it all takes.

People who are short, they're often portrayed as the victim.

But things such as 'Harry Potter', all I can do is shape my character, seek the director's approval on that, and basically take it from there. Professor Flitwick in 'Harry Potter', I kind of defined how I saw him from reading the book, and luckily that matched up with the director's vision.