With The Reader, I'd just be shattered at the end of every day really. I wouldn't really want to talk. We kept saying, because we were in Berlin: "If we get back at a decent hour, let's go and have a glass of wine." We'd always think it would be a great idea, but then get to the end of the day and then go [acts drowsy and blabs]. It was very difficult for everybody.

I don't believe in sort of holding back, you know, life isn't a dress rehearsal!

Having children just puts the whole world into perspective. Everything else just disappears.

The retouching is excessive. I do not look like that and more importantly, I don't desire to look like that.

I often look at women who wear great jeans and high heels and nice little T-shirts wandering around the city and I think, I should make more of an effort. I should look like that. But then I think, They can't be happy in those heels.

I have no regrets. If you regret things, you're sort of stepping backwards. I'm a believer in going forwards.

I knew it was going to be important that if I had an audience understand who she was, then all those things had to come from a place that was grounded, as opposed to being tics and manners and twitches. I didn't think it was going to be as rich, perhaps, as if I was going to make it more emotional.