I know I'm not a conventional beauty. You can read a lot of painful things on the Internet, which criticise you aesthetically - but as far as I'm concerned, that's not what an actress is.

I go to yoga classes as well as practicing myself. I'm always open to new experiences and when I'm in different cities shooting, I try some local classes sometimes.

I think we have to monitor our minds the way we need to monitor our bodies.

It's a writer's or director's role to be cerebral, whereas for an actor it should be a visceral, gut thing. When the action starts, it's best to turn the brain off and let it become an instinctual thing.

I’ve always been a black sheep. That’s a hard thing to be until you find your calling in life. I was bullied a lot at school, probably because I was perceived to be different from everyone else.

I think the beauty of the writing of 'Game of Thrones' is not that the characters are fearless; it's how they overcome their fear, you know?

I do as much research as is physically possible when I'm playing a real person, be they alive or dead.