It's very hard to play the straight lead girl and still make her sparkly and fun and real.

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.

Cate's absolutely spellbinding. She was like that just eating a sandwich. I knew at the time I was privileged, but since she's become God's gift to actresses I realise exactly how lucky I was.

You shouldn't strategize your career if you're in a creative realm. You can't either. I love the unknown. I love the element of surprise. I've always felt really inspired by it. I love the spontaneity of the job. I think you can't really fight against it.

I'm kind of effectively bipolar.

I've always been quite a spontaneous person, so I would lean more towards, if you feel it and you know its right, then do it.

I find that it really helps that I live in the States. I'm married to an American, and I have lots of American friends.