I just would like to keep going. If I kept getting the kind of work that I've been getting for the last 20 years for the next 20, I'd be a bloody Dame of the British Empire. I'd be so happy.

As I get older, I want to draw on my experience to make roles better. I see that in the older women who inspire me - their experience makes them better.

You just grow up and learn to think instead of just feel.

I only went along to youth theatre with a friend when I was young to try to make myself a bit more sociable. But the whole thing was quite sore; it really hurt me trying to get into drama school. It was a world I knew nothing about - it was very middle class; all that usual stuff. But I was young, determined, and I just went for it.

People at a point of conflict are always the most interesting stories to tell.

I don't look like Catherine Zeta-Jones, so I don't think Hollywood would be that interested in me, to be honest. I just want nice work.

You can't worry too much about profile; otherwise, you become a different kind of actor, and that's not the kind of actor I want to be.