I love character roles. I'm happier in them. I look for roles that have some kind of complexity.

I used to look like a deer in headlights on the red carpet. You step out of the car and it's bedlam. Everyone's got crazy eyes.

I had a non-existent knowledge of Queen Victoria's early years. Like everyone else, I thought of her as an old lady dressed in black. My mom had told me about her, though, that she had a very loving relationship with Albert, that they had lots of kids, and that he died young.

I really asked myself, “Oh, my god, how am I going to do this?” That’s what I aspire to, every time I take on a new role.

I always think that the most interesting characters are those that are trying to cover something or those that have some sense of bravado or composure.

If you're very open to watching the world go by, with people's different tics, you absorb it all without realizing it and find ways to put something into your character. I'm not sure I'm always aware I'm mimicking someone.

People just want to know something, anything. It's all the stuff you never want to talk about, the private stuff.