As a child, I always liked dressing up and getting into character, and actors are lucky in being able to retain that playfulness, though we do seem to find it hard to grow up.
I always wear the shoes of the character a week before going on set; the idea of just putting on a new pair of shoes on the first day of filming is just horrific.
I'm a real geek. I love spending time researching a character and reading about them.
I think in every character there are aspects of yourself that you bring to it. But then it would be really boring to just play yourself.