As an actor, those are the roles that you long for. You always want something that's going to kick your last role out of the water and put you off on a new path.

It's a mystery that thing about chemistry because often people who hate each other in real life and hate each other on the set have great chemistry on the screen. And people who love each other in real life and love each other on the set have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever.

I remember thinking, when I was in my early 30s, that this is the best age to be, and I still believe your 30s are a wonderful time.

I've been working every year since I started acting, and I got many awards before I won the Oscar for 'The Queen.'

I am in a fabulously lucky position in that I get to wear beautiful, beautiful gowns for functions, which I can then give back. That way, they're not sitting in my wardrobe with me looking at them and feeling guilty. I love that, and I think when people have a fabulous function to go to, I'd recommend renting.

Southend is a dormitory town for London. But it also had this thing of being the playground of the East End - a glamorous holiday town.

I think still it is very fine not to want children. There are far too many people in the world. It is my contribution to ecology.