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

When I was starting out, young actresses had the studio system to protect them. Now you have a host of sharks, from your agent to your publicist to your lawyer.

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

I don't regret the passing of time. I try to live in the present, which should mean my life's full.

As you grow older, your whole life becomes very rich, multifaceted.

I maintain the rather old-fashioned view that this is my work and it's in the public arena, but that doesn't entitle everyone to know what happened at home before coming here.

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