My experiences in film and theatre in the States have been much more rigorous-in England there's an environment of, Let's try this.

I've always thought that less was a lot more.

I sort of have a love affair with my work. Many of us work far too hard and we don't put enough value in the epicurean, sensual part of life.

I first wanted to be an actress after seeing a play - not a movie.

I don't read reviews because if they're bad I'm devastated and if they're good I get a big head.

Art is an expression of who you are. Parts that I play are my sculptures.

I got to L.A., and they said I had to lose weight, let my hair grow and buy some dresses. I was nailing auditions with my readings, but they wouldn't hire me because I wasn't putting on the glam. It just didn't occur to me.

I prefer younger men. In some ways, they are much more open to a woman being stronger and independent then some of the men my age.

When you're filming, you work 19-hour days, and you know more about what's going on with your crew and co-workers than you do with your husband.

I don't want to be in boardrooms talking about hiring hairdressers and minivans. I'm not good at it, and I don't like to hire and fire people. I hate that. It's horrible.

I've been playing sexually aware women most of my life. At this point I expected to be playing moms and wives. It's exciting to play a femme fatale.

My family was going back to England to visit my mother's grandmother, who was very ill. We went up to Liverpool and I met my great-aunt, who was just a force of nature. She was an elocution teacher and a huge enthusiast for theater and the classics. I took her amateur acting class, and she was really impressed with me.

I think the wonderful thing about doing theater is that it's more of an actor's medium. I think that film is more of a director's medium. You can't edit something out on stage. It's there.

I didn't want to get married, and I didn't want kids - I knew I wanted to act.

A pilot is like the most extensive dress rehearsal you can ever imagine, because the writers are learning about the actors, the actors are learning about the characters.

I enjoyed making people laugh. I discovered that I loved that power over them. On stage, I felt I could really express who I was for the first time.

As I get older, I find that cardio is less important to me. What I want to do more of is intense stretching.

I'm certainly not a prude.

Being a gossip reporter just isn't a respectable job. It'll chew you up and spit you out.

I was very close to my father. At the age of ten I wanted to do plays, and my father was very encouraging. When I applied to different acting schools, he was right there and very supportive.

If you stick with a vision, it might not all work, but some of it will be absolute genius. To me, 15 minutes worth of absolute genius in a film is so much better than two hours of mediocrity. I would rather pay to see something different like that.

If my accomplishments frighten someone, it's nothing to do with me - that's to do with them. But the men who are in my life see me as a person - as a woman - not as a character I've played.

Having my priorities in order has really helped me look better, fresher, and more relaxed.

I never gave up believing that there was much more to life than how I was living it.