Sometimes it's a bizarre, fairly cold, and horrifying thing to be a parent.

Does our culture have a need for violence? I don't know. I guess it's a personal thing.

As a teenager I was clinically depressed. Although I had lots of friends, I found those years very difficult.

I look at someone like Kathryn Bigelow, and I have so much admiration. She's playing in the boy's sandpit, and winning.

Getting the role in '300' saved me. I'd been out of work for 11 months after 'The Brothers Grimm.' Once the film came out and didn't do so well, the director Terry Gilliam blamed me for absolutely everything. It was pretty appalling, and I had started to wonder if I'd ever get another job again when I was asked to audition for '300.

There's a perceived inverse relation between looks and talent. Look at Charlize Theron - she made herself ugly for 'Monster' and suddenly everyone said 'she's a genius.' It shouldn't be like that.

I'm 40 next year and I'm very well aware that where I am now, it becomes a bit of a wilderness for actresses.