We have to reinvest, I think, in the idea of articulacy as a form of personal human freedom and power.

Children don't need much advice but they really do need to be listened to and not just with half an ear.

You can't be a great mum and work the whole time necessarily; those two things aren't ideal. We have an awful lot to work on and to debate about in relation to our working lives, because it isn't working for a lot of people, particularly for a lot of women.

A lot of very beautiful women can be a pain because all they're thinking about is how they look.

What was important was trying to create something that families could watch together and enjoy together

I think books are like people, in the sense that they'll turn up in your life when you most need them. I firmly believe there are books whose greatness actually enables you to live, to do something. And sometimes, human beings need story and narrative more than they need nourishment and food.

It doesn't matter how good the movie is. What matters is what it takes during the opening weekend. It's slightly distressing sometimes but that's how it works.