It's a wonderful profession, and it opens lots of doors, and I think it's quite right that people can accuse actors and actresses of being dilettante, but you learn on every job, whatever it is, the process moves you on in some way, and yeah, I want to expand my knowledge of our existence, I suppose.

It makes me feel resilient when you tackle different things.

My roots are still in Britain, that's where I live, that's the place where I come from.

It's the idea that when you say 'actress', people think of an airy, floaty, no-brain person, which of course you can't be if you are an actor. It is an unfortunate word, which is why, for a time, I hung on to 'actor', because it just seemed more workmanlike, you know, like you say 'woman doctor' not 'doctoress'.

Feminism was a dirty word for a while.

Somebody referred to me as a ringleader, which I wouldn't have classed myself as, but anyway, there you go.

London keeps me grounded. We don't get praised every time we open our gobs there.