Mum wasn't at all religious, but she thought that going to the theatre was as important a ceremonial, communal experience that a person could have.

I like characters who have faults. I'm drawn to darker people.

If you're playing someone who has lived, there's the risk of imitation, or whether you focus on the essence of who that character was as opposed to physical mannerisms. So, you have to figure out what it is ultimately that this particular adaptation of the story, whether it's fiction or not, is trying to say.

From a very young age, stories fuelled my imagination in the most wonderful way.

Because I trained in theater, I always leave a film shoot feeling like I haven't done anything, like I just sat in front of the camera and whispered, essentially.

I am often lost in my own world, with a frown on my face.

My first job was a Greek tragedy, and ever since, one job just seemed to roll onto the next. I've been terribly lucky.