There wasn't very much time between wrapping Revolutionary Road and starting The Reader. It was about five and a half months, which, for me, isn't that long. Some actors are very good at just going from one thing to another but I've always been a bit useless at that. The preparation time is important for me.

Playing Juliet in Heavenly Creatures changed my life, and the role of Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind opened many new doors creatively.

It's funny when someone says to you 'you're hot' and all that, because I don't think of it in that way.

Experiencing those moments of being alone... is a very, very weird flooring and exposing position to be in when you're just not used to it. But I've never been lonely. And with my kids Mia and Joe that remains the case.

Very thorough in the rehearsal process but more in terms of just understanding the characters, understanding where the actors are at with discovering those characters for themselves, and just setting an overall emotional tone for the piece as opposed to necessarily getting things up on their feet or staging scenes.

I'd rather do theater and British films than move to L.A. in hopes of getting small roles in American films.

It's true that you need much time to get rid of the fat girl you once were, but you know I am sincerely grateful for my buttocks.