You have a lot more to give, the older you get. And you want to give it. I mean, some people want to give it. But there is a desire to pass down, to have a hand in the past and a hand in the future. There's a continuum.

You know when someone's over-flattering you in a way. You smile but you can't believe it.

It was so soon after I'd had my son and I really wasn't planning on going back to work for a while. I will walk over hot coals to work with Bill Condon on anything, the experience that you have with him is just too good... I've certainly never worked with him before so the trio of Bill [Codon], Ian [McKellen], and Sherlock Holmes, and England: it was too much to say "no" to.

Collaboration. ... For me, it has informed every move I've ever made. And it saved me in many ways and still does. When things get hard, you can cling to the work.

Fame didn't happen to me in my 20s, it has been a gradual thing which probably makes it easier to deal with.

I get cold - really cold - when I travel.

Traits like humility, courage, and empathy are easily overlooked - but it's immensely important to find them in your closest relationships.