The life changing moment for me what the first time I went to a war zone and that was Sierra Leone. I took two weeks, eleven years ago and I went. I wasn't an Ambassador or anything I just asked to go and I was allowed to go. It was like someone smacked me in the face.

Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.

If I make a fool of myself, who cares? I'm not frightened by anyone's perception of me.

I don't need any crutches in order to concentrate. As a child I learned that you must be ready because I'd be yelled at more than other people and it would always be my fault. I learned that to be professional is your number-one priority. The art comes second. You learn that, in order to give your best performance, you have to be a good technician, which means never allowing negative influences affect your performance.

When I was growing up I never babysat. I was considered to 'punk rock' to be trusted with kids.

Maleficent has suffered abuse in the past, and there's a reason why she is now as furious as she is. And I think that children who have been outcast and abused in any way will relate to her. There's a beautiful side to her; she's not just a dark person. She has all these facets. And that is interesting.

I was the punk outsider who nobody messed with. I was fearless. At 16, I graduated and moved out.