I think with any characterization there's a point where you empathize, no matter how much of a deviance his or her actions may be from your understanding of humanity.

I am also full of admiration for Chelsea Manning [formerly PFC Bradley Manning]. Regardless of which side of the argument you're on, he stood up for something he felt wasn't right. That was an extraordinarily brave thing to do, and I think he was unfairly punished for it. It's a really big deal what he did, and he did it for the betterment of all us, including the soldiers on the ground, as well as the civilians caught up in those conflicts.

Mum did a lot of commercial theatre and farces in the 1980s and '90s to make sure the school bills were paid.

Any privacy in public is a hard thing to negotiate.

That's something I have to work on: to separate what really matters, to conserve energy by not worrying about what other people think.

I'm interested in art for all. I don't want it to be only the sons and daughters of Tory MPs who get to see my plays.

I've seen and swam and climbed and lived and driven and filmed. Should it all end tomorrow, I can definitely say there would be no regrets. I am very lucky, and I know it. I really have lived 5,000 times over.