Like most girls, I fantasized about being some sort of a princess.

Whenever I think of my birthplace, Walton-on-Thames, my reference first and foremost is the river. I love the smell of the river; love its history, its gentleness. I was aware of its presence from my earliest years. Its majesty centered me, calmed me, was a solace to a certain extent.

The arts bridge cultures; they're good for the economy, and they're good for fostering empathy and decency.

Sometimes I'm so sweet even I can't stand it.

All love shifts and changes. I don't know if you can be wholeheartedly in love all the time.

Who could have imagined that life would have taken such marvelous twists and turns or that I would often be so fortunate to be in the right place at the right time?

Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it.

Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.

Behaving like a princess is work. It's not just about looking beautiful or wearing a crown. It's more about how you are inside.

When one door closes, another window opens.

Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.

Green screen's not my favourite thing to do.

'Safe' was a script that I read and flipped out for.

I think people are always really surprised when they realise I'm not a very serious person and that I'm not tremendously serious about acting. I don't like to rehearse; I hate improv. Directors that don't like to talk, they're my favourite ones.

We allow for many more gradations of personality in life than we do in art.

It's hard to keep the romance going sometimes. Because you have a job. And you have children. And you have a house and a dog. And something leaks in the basement, and somebody has to take the dog to the vet... you're exhausted.

In my opinion, you don't get to have privacy when you're only 16!

Every child is so different. Their experience growing up and their experience relating to the world has so much to do with their temperament, and their likes and their dislikes.

When the computer and tablets are all about playing games, that's not interesting to me.

I was somebody who was not athletic. I was highly imaginative; I loved to read, and I loved nothing more than being in a story... I didn't want to play ball; I wanted to imagine something and read something.

Too much makeup on an older woman can really make you look like a freak.

I have women friends who are significantly younger and older than me.

I love going to Scotland.

You'd have to spend a lot of time with me before I'd be comfortable enough to show my dark side.