Actor Dominic Cooper landed the role of Dakin in Alan Bennett's The History Boys at the National Theatre in 2004. He later toured the world with the acclaimed production and featured in the radio and film adaptations. Cooper's films since then include The Duchess, Mamma Mia! and My Week with Marilyn. His latest roles are Darcy in Dead Man Down 14 Juneand AJ Munnings in an adaptation of Jonathan Smith's novel Summer in February which is out on Friday.
Music: The Rolling Stones
I saw them at Echoplex, a tiny venue in LA. The relationship Mick Jagger had with the audience was just magical, you really felt like he was experiencing the emotions he was singing about. I met Ronnie Wood afterwards, got very nervous and gave him a ridiculous hug where I managed to almost dislocate his shoulder.
Exhibition: Souzou – Outsider Art from Japan
It's on at the Wellcome Collection and features art made by residents at social welfare institutions. Souzou means creation and imagination. It was really touching to see how others perceive the world, through their grief or pain or the hardships in their life.
Book: Just Kids by Patti Smith
It's about her pursuit and belief in her craft and her art and her poetry. It's a very spirited read. It makes you remember why you're pursuing what you're pursuing and how worthwhile it is for your soul. Each chapter has something you can learn about yourself and the world. That was very beautiful.
Television: The Up series
It follows several kids from when they're seven years old and then every seven years of their lives (the latest instalment met them at 56). You got to know them as children, you saw what their dreams were as kids, and then you see where they've got to. It's beautiful.
City: Budapest
I was filming there for a few months in hard winter. It needed to look like Germany, France and London and managed all of that. It has been occupied for most of its life by outsiders – it's only in the last 20 years it's been free. There is this feeling of moving forward at last.
Radio: This American Life
This is a show with down-to-earth stories about real people living across America. Really creative, unusual stories about local environments and the complications of being alive, but they are always fascinating. On the outside, life can seem mundane but actually everyone has a story.
