Anton Savage kicks off Today FM slot with Kevin Spacey interview

Spacey, who finally bagged a Golden Globe this month after being nominated eight times, said he was "surprised and delighted" with the win.

The actor, who wraps up a ten year stint as Artistic Director at the Old Vic in London, also spoke of his preference for theatre over film.

"You just have to accept the fact that no matter how good someone might feel that you are in a movie you'll never be any better," he explained.

"It's frozen in time.  It is a moment in which you were able to capture something and in some cases if I do happen to catch a film that I've been in, sort of travelling around in a hotel sometimes I turn on the TV and look at it and go, 'Why does that look familiar?  Oh, it's me!' Sometimes I'm pleased that a film has been captured and it might stand the test of time.  You know, you're lucky if you get a number, a fistful, of those in your life.

"I think it's one of the reasons why I prefer and have always loved the living theatre and doing theatre.  You can always be better tomorrow night, you cna be better three nights from now, you can be better three weeks from now.  It is a constant journey and process of evolving and changing and growing."

Spacey has produced films including Captain Philips and The Social Network through his Trigger Street production company and said, "I've always been a big believer in an idea that was handed down to me by the great Jack Lemmon who always believed if you've done well in a business you've wanted to do well in it's your obligation to sned the elevator back down."

He said he had no interest in "sitting around a kidney shaped swimming pool in Beverly Hills and collecting residual cheques".

Spacey is also involved in the Jameson First Shot project (www.jamesonfirstshot.com) which aims to give new writers, directors, and actors a chance to produce their work.  This is the first year Ireland has been included.  Three winners will be chosen who will have Adrian Brody star in their shorts.

Of working on TV (the third season of House of Cards arrives on Netflix on February 27), he said the American "snobbery" about TV had disappeared.

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"If you look at the last 15 years of what could be called the third golden age of television, there's no doubt that a group of very brave executives in HBO sand broadcasters who tepped forward in 1998 and thought well why not a show about a mob boss in New Jersey who suffers from anxiety attacks.  Why not?

"The runway has been paved very long before we launched House of Cards in terms of extremely creative anti heros that an audience really has enjoyed watching and sort of demanding great storytelling.  While the film business over the last decade has decided to focus on big tempo films and cartoon characters and comic book figures, the ground has become very fertile in TV for great writing and acting and directing."

Of the return of House of Cards, he joked, "I can guarantee you this because I'm not allowed to say anything, I can guarantee you this, there will be scenes and there will be dialogue and there will be stuff that happens."

The Anton Savage Show, Today FM, weekdays.