Judi Dench and Ian McKellen taught me how to work hard and respect the theatre.

Truly charismatic people, in my experience, dont come along very often.

I consulted a Chinese herbalist and spent two weeks on an island off the coast of Zanzibar. I was away from any kind of contemporary technology.

The funny thing is I'm not bothered or sad about being on my own - after all I've never had a husband.

I'm one of the great unemployed looking for the next job. I'm waiting for the right offer. Like anyone, I want something that turns me on inside.

It's funny, this thing about happiness. It's a commodity that was imported from America in the Fifties. I see myself simply as living my life. . . . I feel it's pushing your luck to define how happy you are.

I've never been too afraid of what other people have said, especially when I was younger, but I suppose that was the arrogance of youth.