The Hollywood culture is so invasive, and I definitely wanted to be near it eventually.

The great fear I've had to overcome is the fear of failure. You have to be willing to be afraid, if you're going to be an artist.

There are many mediocre entertainers who don't aspire to much more than fame and glory. It's very easy to have them as your role models because there aren't as many greats.

I was not seduced by the celebrity side of acting. However, as a British girl watching a lot of American TV, I saw that there was a whole world of opportunity in the States that I wanted to discover.

At the end of the day, I really go with my personal taste and with what's on the page in terms of character. But beyond that, there's a complexity about the scripts I tend to respond to. I've not lost my curiosity about how the world functions. And a script that can embody that and thematically explore bigger questions in a way which seems fresh is likely to get my attention. Frankly, I also have an eye for what will appeal to an audience, as opposed to a self-indulgent exercise that isn't taking the audience into account.

You have to be willing to be afraid if you're going to be an artist.

Intelligence starts to get pretty dull if it's not coupled with kindness.