John Hurt believes that a film audience should never be underestimated.
The actor returned to the big screen last month with crime thriller Tinker, tailor, Soldier, Spy - a movie that has been met well by the critics as well as cinema audiences.
And Hurt directors should be more confident about taking on projects such as this because they are something that audiences want to see.
Speaking to Metro the actor said: "My instincts were correct - you should never underestimate the audience.
"It's a film which invites you to take part, you don't just put your feet up and say 'entertain me'. Film producers often underestimate the intelligence and participation of the audience."
"It's ever present. We go through periods with film. The 1960s and 1970s were extraordinarily experimental, both in film and TV.
"We've become less daring and films have become much more expensive - far too expensive at the top end. When you're dealing with blockbusters, it's such a massive audience that the material gets more facile."
Tinker, Tailors, Soldier, Spy remained at the top of the UK box office this week for the third consecutive week having grossed £9.1 million in the UK alone.
Hurt has once again lent his voice to BBC series Merlin an we will be seeing him back on the big screen later this year with Immortals.
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