I kept on going and I overcame my fears and got over my insecurities.

There's not an awful lot that embarrasses me. I'm the kind of actress that absolutely believes in exposing myself.

There are moments to indulge and enjoy, but I always know when it's time to go home and wash my knickers.

I don't go to the gym because I don't have time, but I do pilates workout DVDs for 20 minutes or more every day at home.

I think I look nicer now. It's really weird cause when you're 21 you think, "Oh God, when I'm 36, oh God, that's nearly 40, and I'll look really old and wrinkly by then". And actually I quite like the way I look. I feel OK about myself these days.

Just coming to terms with the fact that I got to play April Wheeler [Revolutionary Road] and Hanna Schmitz [The Reader] in one year, let alone in my lifetime. I'm very, very aware of how rare that is as an opportunity for any one person. I can't tell you how much I've been able to take away from these experiences creatively. I really, really learned so much about acting, about myself... all of those things. It's difficult to talk about the actor's process without sounding like an arrogant asshole but they really were very challenging.

There's more to life than cheek bones.