What’s the first information you consume in the morning?
I like The Guardian online because I feel like I’m getting a sense of what’s going on back home. I’m trying to get out of the habit of waking up and immediately turning on my phone and opening up The Guardian, but I have that slightly morbid desire to know if anything awful has happened in the world while I’m asleep.

What occupies your mind in the car or on the subway?
I’m kind of a news junkie, so on the subway, I find myself waiting until I get to a station that has 3G and then refreshing The Guardian to see if any news item has come up.

How do you listen to music?
Usually just iTunes. Listen, I’m a child of the ’70s and grew up in the ‘80s, and at this point, I think it’s just a little set in stone.

Anything good you’ve been listening to lately?
Plenty. Sbtrkt—that’s been rattling around in my head for a while now.

Are you a TV junkie?
I’m more of a Hulu or box-set binger. I’ll store them up until I have a ravenous appetite, and then I’ll shut the blinds and stay in for three days. At the moment, like everyone else, I like Breaking Bad and Girls, but I also just got the box set of the old BBC series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Alec Guinness.

How do you occupy your time during breaks on set?
I find that a book is helpful in that respect—a good, long, gripping book, but something that doesn’t rip you out of the world you’re trying to construct.

What are you reading at the moment?
Now that I’m finished with work, I’m reading World War Z. I usually have a few things on the go. I’ve got the zombie book on the one hand, and then I’m trying to read Samuel Pepys’ diaries on the other hand.

Do you prefer to read in print or on a tablet?
At home, I prefer to read actual print books. Even if you’re reading a book on the iPad—which I do if I’m traveling—you think, “I could Google this,” and a few clicks later, you’re reading about Jessica Simpson’s latest diet.

You play an FBI profiler on your new series, Hannibal. Did you do a lot of research into that field?
The series is obviously based in Thomas Harris’ books, so I read Red Dragon for the first time. And after that, I read a few books by profilers that Thomas Harris had spoken to. There’s a book called Mindhunter by John Douglas that I found very useful.

Any favorite apps?
We just had a baby, so the White Noise app is invaluable. There’s one sound that’s a busy restaurant. I don’t know why babies would like that, but it seems to work.

Do you think you’ll let your child have his own iPad apps?
I’m sure that by the time he’s 2, he’ll have a better grasp of it all than me. But we’ll try to restrict his diet a bit.

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