I always find filming stressful. I get very caught up thinking about my character - 'Am I doing it right? Should it be done this way?'

Powerful women are the most interesting to play.

If you educate children, then they are capable of so much - you empower them, you give them choices, and you enable them to create the lives that they dream for themselves.

I can't impersonate someone. That is not what I do. I can only take someone's essence and create a character out of that.

Be open and honest, but perceptive to your boss's situation. That's my advice to graduates worried about working with a new boss.

What I generally get from being in Africa is a sense of warmth and openness. As a stranger, you are always welcomed into people's homes and people are always offering you food. That generosity is incredibly touching.

I'm always interested in telling stories that have a message because I really do believe that film is so powerful.