I love Sam Mendes. He's a fantastic director.

Powerful women are the most interesting to play.

Actors need steely determination. It's a tough profession with plenty of knocks along the way. You have to be very determined and never take 'no' for an answer.

Acting is a career without a safety net, because it's not like a professional job where every year you hope to be promoted, and get a sense of career stability. There is never any stability in this business.

I have many different sides; I can be the life and soul of the party - or a wallflower.

I'm not the greatest driver. I don't know if I'll ever master the art.

I started acting when I was seven. And I went to a local drama school which is very well-known in London. Because of that, I started getting jobs, and I worked all the time as a child, pretty much non-stop.