I think it's very repressive for a woman to be constantly told that she has to make films about women to better represent women, but then the reverse is not found.

I'm fundamentally a busy person; I spend my time doing useful things and profoundly useless things!

I think I was quite lucky in that I went to an all-girls school. I was never put in an environment where I had to be the other - the woman as opposed to the man - all the way through my education. I was never made to feel that way at home.

I think it took a long time for me to realise that as much as I respect reviews and do engage with reviewers as a viewer of the theatre, television and film it's really unhelpful. Even if people make perceptive and interesting comments about your performance, it is so subjective and you will come in and change what you do, you can't help it.

I think with the best actors, emotion is something that has no kind of check in them.

Our conception of 1950s underwear is a lovely vintage aesthetic, but actually, wearing stockings with no elastic and a girdle was heavy duty.

You don't have to conform to a very specific aesthetic today, whereas 1950s women definitely had to.