Kent-born Mark Rylance picked up an Oscar last month for his performance in the Steven Spielberg-directed Bridge of Spies.

He's also picked up a nomination in this year's Baftas for his role in the BBC2 drama Wolf Hall, which was filmed at Penshurst Place.

Here, he talks his Oscar-winning role of a lifetime and working with some of Hollywood’s true greats.

I play Rudolf Abel, a Russian spy who was captured and arrested in America...

We don’t really know all that much about him, other than the fact that he received and passed on messages at various drop sites throughout New York. He was hiding out in a kind of bohemian artists’ warehouse in Brooklyn with all of these young guys who were what you would call, “left of centre.” Eventually, the New York Bar Association gets an insurance lawyer, James Donovan, played by Tom Hanks, to agree to represent Abel.

Abel is a mysterious character...

There are not any actual recordings of his voice, so I based his accent on other people’s descriptions, but there is a brief clip on YouTube of him being led from a truck into a courtroom which provided me with some nice physical aspects to play with, like his stance, which was almost hawk-like. Unfortunately, I don’t have his wonderful nose and I’m not quite as thin as he was.

This is a true story and it was a dangerous time when the US government thrived on frightening its citizens...

When Abel was captured, the country was in a frenzy and everyone was convinced he should be executed for his crimes. There is a scene in the film where members of the public present at Abel’s trial become very angry when his sentence is read. Donovan’s argument had always been that this was not treason, because Abel was never an American citizen, but a professional spy doing his patriotic duty. It is Donovan’s brilliant assertion that no matter who the enemy is or what they have done, everyone needs to be treated equally under that law.

The props on set were extraordinary and so completely accurate for that time...

Just being surrounded by these craftspeople with such love for what they do is inspiring. It is the combination of all these crafts which make a great film.

Tom Hanks saw me in Twelfth Night in Los Angeles in 2003 before the production was famous...

He was one of the first actors to come to it and to come backstage to talk to the cast. The day before we started filming Bridge of Spies, he invited me over to read through the script with him. What surprised me the most about Tom is that he loves to make people laugh and has this very goofy sense of humour which immediately puts people at ease. He also has a phenomenal memory, loves to do crossword puzzles and is a history buff.

As an actor Steven (Spielberg) trusts you...

We never had any discussions about what he was hoping to convey with my character because it was more about making fascinating stories with real people. He knew this story so well and told me at one point that he had read the script at least 50 times before shooting even began.

Steven’s really focused on the narrative...

He likes to work very fast, but was always quick to ask if I needed additional takes, which was kind of him, especially since my background is in British television where we didn’t have the time to do more than one or two takes, due to budgets. But Steven will take the time when he wants something.

I hope people find it an entertaining film, and one that will make them think as well...

This is a film about an unsung civilian hero, James Donovan, who does the right thing at the right time in the right place. He risks his own safety and his family’s safety as well. But this is also a thriller and is relevant in the way we deal with international affairs, which is so different from the way we deal with family and business affairs. It has a resonance for present issues of justice on an international front.

The KM Group's What's On is giving away three copies of Bridge of Spies on DVD: see this week's paper for details.

* Bridge of Spies is available on Digital HD™, Blu-ray™ & DVD now, courtesy by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.