You have to be brave and not always play likeable people. It's difficult, because there's a demand for the hero or heroine to be very likeable.

It was lucky that Ralph [Fiennes] is someone who understands both film and theater and we were able to understand that scene so well before we took it to the set.

I always had a very strong sense of independence. I really liked being able to buy my Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill album. I wore that as a badge of honor. I love not having to rely on anyone.

I think personally it's not good for anyone - I don't think infidelity leads to happiness. It's painful for the person being cheated on, but also for the person who's cheating.

I hate it when, in films, the girl looks perfect in every shot. It's quite nice if there's a bit of dark circles underneath the eyes, if we see the reality of the situation that the person is going through.

What's amazing about the show ["Girls"] - the first (season) is about the girls and then the second (season) is about the boys as well. There's something so human about it.

My mother was in the kind of late-sixties, early-seventies origins of female emancipation. And she was very much like, "You're not going to be defined by how you look. It's going to be about who you are and what you do."