When you make a film, you sign a contract with somebody, and it's not only legally binding but morally binding. You agree to give this man a certain number of weeks of your life, and you just go for it as much as possible. Because, whatever happens, the film is going to come out, so you might as well try very hard to make it a good one.

If you make a film about a pig farmer in Wales and you are a huge hit as the pig farmer's wife, the next thing is you'll be asked to do a film about a sheep farmer in Scotland.

When I speak English, I've been told, I have this patrician way of speaking that's very irritating. It's the whole class thing.

Everyone loves to hate a spin doctor.

'The English Patient' was a huge turning point in my career and my life; it became this huge thing. But the whole Oscar build-up got completely out of control; I spent more time talking about that film than I spent making it!

As an adult, it's a huge shock to be orphaned; as a child it's just hideous, ghastly.

I'm a bit of a Doubting Thomas - always worrying about things.