I played Iris Murdoch, who had not long died, and I felt the responsibility very heavy on my shoulders.

I think you should take your job seriously, but not yourself - that is the best combination.

I once said to someone when I was playing Lady Macbeth and they said: "That's tricky, emotionally, what do you do about murdering your husband's cousin?" And there are, of course, things that aren't in your personal repertoire that you have to somehow understand by reading or watching other things and listening to other people talk about them.

I was in Yorkshire. We were a family of five and I used to be sent sometimes to get the rations for the week and was easily able to carry them back. It was like one egg and a tiny bit of tea.

Every experience that you experience yourself you use, because that's our craft.

The only real failure is the failure to try.

In the theatre you can change things ever so slightly; it's an organic thing. Whereas in film you only have that chance on the day, and you have no control over it at all.