I love New York - maybe more than Los Angeles or London. I think I'm happiest in New York.

I don't know why people are so down on the Best Western. They have the best sweet potato fries I've ever had.

I probably dreamt about running off to America or something when I was 16 because it just seemed like I was studying algebra and going, 'What am I going to use this for?

I didn't want to do a costume drama. It's a great thing to do, but I've done them, and I didn't want to do the same thing again. Of course, costume dramas can be from all different eras, but at the time, I just felt very sure that I didn't want to be boxed in as an English actress. I wanted to be an actress, rather than an English actress.

I wanted to be a musical theatre actress - I wanted to play Sally Bowles, forever and ever always.

I was trying to find ways of not being pigeon-holed like that. I didn't want to be tied down by my accent. I wanted to play Americans. I don't want to ever be doing the same thing twice, and I just didn't want to repeat myself.

You can spend an entire day walking around in New York, whereas in L.A., it always ends at some point because you have to find a way to get home.