Justin Theroux: Gut instincts are always right

Justin Theroux "always" follows his gut.

The actor and screenwriter is best known for his involvement with comedies such as Tropic Thunder and Rock of Ages. He is now causing a stir in TV drama series The Leftovers, but it wasn't a strategic step on his part to move away from his comedy roots.

"This show was just so well written, frankly," he said to the British edition of Marie Claire. "I always follow my gut. I learned early on that whenever I've taken someone's advice and not trusted my gut, it's put me in a miserable place."

However the 43-year-old is more than happy with his lot at the moment. He is engaged to former Friends actress Jennifer Aniston, and is enjoying his role as chief of police Kevin Garvey, Jr. in the HBO series, which also stars Liv Tyler.

Justin is thrilled to work with such a good team both on and off camera and has made lots of new friends, something which is very important to him.

"Your circle grows larger as life rolls along," he explained. "And because of the carny [nomadic] lifestyle of working on a show, there's 30 more people I adore - cast, crew members, camera men - who I didn't know before. The tent goes up, then the tent comes down and you're off to the next town. But hopefully you get to see those people again."

While Justin enjoys being out on location, he always looks forward to getting back to his favourite place, New York.

"It's the spontaneity of New York. You can spill out on to the street, bump into a friend, grab a coffee, see a show. Everything's spur of the moment," he smiled.