I make all my decisions by listening to my instinct and then keeping my fingers crossed it will lead to a good place.

I always love listening to Bob Dylan. 'Blood on the Tracks' is one of my favorite albums.

Interviewing someone is very similar to preparing a character, isn't it? You're just asking questions: 'Who is this person? Why did they make that choice? Why are they doing that?' You're being Sherlock Holmes.

Without sounding too pretentious, I feel my job is almost like becoming a monk or a nun - it's a calling.

My grandmother has dementia, and my mother is looking after her as her primary caregiver. Seeing their relationship has had a profound impact, seeing how tough it is for both of them and seeing how the roles change and how my mother has gone from being a daughter to being the mother.

London is my home. I miss my family so much; it's hard being away. And I miss salt and vinegar crisps. And Marmite. And good fudge. Oh my God. Clotted cream fudge.

A fashion show is like a 10-minute play, but there's all this anticipation; Everyone arriving, finding their seats, then there's 10 minutes of people walking past and clothes and music, then the whole thing is finished.

I have such an eclectic taste. I like listening to classical music and pop music.

It's nice to have some continuity you can come back to. I feel that in coming home, coming back to London.

I've always been a feminist, and what I love in my work is being able to explore a full-sided woman and not patronize her.

But for everyone, I think, there is always a pressure to conform, and I guess as you get older you realize it's less interesting to do that. It starts with you, though, saying, 'I know what I like doing and that's what I'm going to do.'

I love going swimming. I spent a lot of time in North London in summer going to Hampstead Heath and swimming in the ponds there. It's so beautiful; we're so lucky to have that in London.

If it's something quite low-key then I'll often do my own makeup. But for something like a premiere, it's good to have a makeup artist because they know what they're doing.

She was obsessed with French and Swedish cinema. I also remember our mother showing us 'Gone With the Wind' very early on. She absolutely loved Vivien Leigh, so it must have been a formative experience for me, thinking, 'Oh, maybe one day I'll be like Vivien Leigh.'

I actually studied literature at university, so I'm much more of an arts-based person, but I remember I actually did enjoy physics because you got to do weird experiments. I remember we did this thing with static where we all had to put our hands on this static ball to see that your hair would all stand on end.

The actresses I've known support each other very much. If you have a level of confidence in what you're doing, then you don't feel threatened. We all have different things to offer.

It's funny how seeing a love story never gets boring, because it's the dream, isn't it? It's the dream to have a true connection with another human being.

You have to have a bag of Yorkshire Tea bags. It is the best tea that England has to offer, and that comes with me everywhere I go.

There's such a sense of theatre in getting glammed up; it's like putting on a play or short film.

I would be writing an essay that was due in the next day until about 1 A.M., and then I would be up at 6 A.M. and on a train to Birmingham to record 'The Archers'. It was pretty intense.

It is disheartening when you read an interview with an actress, and it starts by describing what she is wearing.

My bag always weighs a ton. I carry my whole bathroom with me. You never know what's going to happen in a day!

The key is working with great directors. A film is so many different people and all their talents, but particularly the directors, because of the idiosyncrasies of that person.

I have a great plain blue shirt from APC, and a denim one from Dolce that I wear constantly. It's hard to find the perfect denim shirt, but this is it.

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 hardly ever watch the news... I love reading newspapers, but I know they're dying out.

You have to be brave and not always play likeable people. It's difficult, because there's a demand for the hero or heroine to be very likeable.

I'm very excited that I can get on a skateboard and skateboard down the street now. That was something I never thought I'd be able to do. I conquered my fears.

Any creative process comes with a level of self-analysis and self-criticism. There's a lot of waking up in the middle of the night going, 'Oh, I wish I had done that differently.'

I think actors always find the dialogue doesn't quite fit, so you always have to play with it.

I'm not a huge jewelry fan.

Day to day, I always wear eyeliner on my top lid and mascara. I like to do my own makeup, it depends on the event.

The more you work, the more people can see that you're something different from what's come before.

I actually always had short hair as a kid, and it's really liberating. I recommend it. It's just very easy. I don't have to brush it.

I don't like when I look too cluttered.

I think that my parents' divorce gave me a very strong sense of self-reliance and independence. I realised that I needed to make sure I could support myself because you don't know what's going to happen in the future.

There's so much of a desire in the entertainment industry for newness, a desire to build somebody up and then treat them as old news within six months. I think you'd be naive if you didn't try to hold on to your own way of doing things.

I was a very rotund child with short hair, and for some reason, I always had black ballet shoes. I was like the Wednesday Addams of ballet.

With every film that you do, you're always so nervous. You feel exposed because you know people will see this eventually. You sort of have to put all that out of your head. What will be will be. But it's nerve wracking.

I guess I'm a bit of a romantic.

Fashion choices are never arbitrary. Even if you say you don't care, that's a decision. There's something you're trying to say.

I would describe my look as 'ladylike rock chick.'

It always starts with a script. I like to have plenty of time to read something, and I always like to read a paper copy. I hate reading it on email. I sit down with a script, and want to see how it hits me. It's an instinctive process.

I always had a very strong sense of independence. I really liked being able to buy my Alanis Morissette 'Jagged Little Pill' album. I wore that as a badge of honor. I love not having to rely on anyone.

When you're a young actor, there's this pressure to rush. But I hope to be doing this into my sixties and seventies, so I'd prefer to take my time.

I think you're attracted to things that are different from yourself in a character because it's more interesting, and you get to play out a fantasy version of yourself.

Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.

Acting has always existed alongside my normal life. It's been a case of learning on the job. I've worked in so many styles, with so many people, so I've picked bits up from everyone and everything.

I'm interested in all forms of performance, yet I think it's difficult to be as equally talented in all of them as they call for such different skills. At the moment, I still feel I'm learning and want as much experience and variety as possible.

It can be very intense being an actor; it can be quite a small world. Then you speak to your friend who is a scientist and they have a completely different perspective.