JAI COURTNEY

I would much rather have a couple of hundred grams of chicken in the afternoon than neck a shake. You're better off just keeping your diet relatively lean and eating simply.

I started coming to L.A. as often as I could, for three months on and three months off, because immigration kicks you out after 90 days.

For 'The Terminator,' I was asked to drop a bit of weight to get less physically imposing because it wasn't about an athletic build; the build they were looking for was something more unassuming or boyish. And it was tough!

Auditioning for a couple of years, 99 per cent of the time you are doing an American accent.

If you get just a bit of exercise in before every meal, you'll really see a difference.

I'm not someone who likes to live in the gym.

It's funny: a lot of roles I do read for mention physical presence - like, 'built like a quarterback' - and for me, it's pretty boring because I don't want that to be the most important thing. I'm not trying to be Dwayne Johnson.

Action roles - or any role - should go to the best guy for the job. People obsess about nationality. Hollywood and America might be the hub for pop culture and cinema for the Western world, but that shouldn't suggest that all the roles should go to young American men.

I was always realistic about the fact I wanted to be involved with big films.

With 'Divergent' and 'Insurgent,' there isn't great emphasis on uniformity; it's a vigilante military, the state is in disarray, and there is no reference point for authenticity, so it's just weapons work and circumstantial fighting.

I wish I did something like yoga or Pilates. All the people I know who do it tell me it's incredible.

To be given a lead role in something as cool and fresh and crazy as 'Spartacus' was a real thrill. That had a lot to do with the evolution of my ambition as well.

After 'A Good Day to Die Hard,' I had a bit of an identity crisis as far as where I wanted to place myself in the business. When it's all new and fresh, there is a lot of pressure to know what you represent, and I didn't really get that.

It's a funny thing because I don't want to wish away my privacy. Do I want 'Terminator Genisys' to explode? Absolutely. Do I want to take my career to the next level? Absolutely? You have to trade some things for that. It's all about how you conduct yourself and what you make of the experience.

I don't know if I'm an action star or if that's just how things are shaping up. I would hate to be boxed into that forever, but it's probably just a strength as far as my type goes, and I'm fine with that.

I'm more likely to give you a cuddle than a punch in the face. I have a soft side, especially with my girlfriend. I send her flowers and use my culinary skills to pull off romantic meals. I do great Thai dishes.

Ideally, really ideally, you want to get to a place where you can have creative control over the material you do - choices, at least, anyway. And you want your choice of script and role. But do you really want your life to revolve around trying to maintain your privacy?

I was always dressing up as a kid in the backyard, building some sort of fort and having battles against imaginary enemies. It's often that same feeling when you're pretending for a living, but it's with bigger toys.

I was too young to be an avid enthusiast for the franchise, but like billions of people I remember as a child sitting around with the family on a Friday night with pizza and popcorn and a 'Die Hard' movie on.

I've always played sport. I played rugby, I was involved in athletics, I played cricket... I'm an outdoors kind of guy.

I'm not someone who has a lengthy attention span, and that applies to my exercise routine as well.

You get involved with a studio, and optional pictures and sequel options and that sort of thing are becoming part and parcel with the roles they're handing out.

I got into the guitar at a young age, and it's a big part of what I like to do during my down time.

Would I want Johnny Depp's career? Sure! But do I want all the trappings and all the stuff that comes with that? I don't know. It's a pretty serious trade off. Can you prevent it? Probably not.

When you're working with people you've seen in hundreds of films... it's a bit crazy to step outside yourself for a minute and think, 'This is surreal.' But I try not to get too bogged down in that.