The concept of growing up is so hard to quantify. What have you learned and how have you changed and how have you stayed exactly the same? As I get older, it's something I reflect on more and more. Especially as the generations go on. We wait longer to have families, we wait longer to have responsibilities. Everyone used to be married by 20 and pregnant immediately.

Art, a book, a painting, a song, can definitely inspire change, whether it's a small change or a big change but you know there's novels I've read or a scene in a film that I've seen where I definitely inspired something and made a change or addressed an issue in my life or done something cliche like make a phone call.

TV is very much a producer and writer or creator-driven machine in the States. And I'm the kind of actor that needs to be pushed and have someone on my case a little bit, so I suffer from that.

People would make fun of me and throw things at me and whatever teenagers do.

The good thing about having a kid is you don't think about that as much. Like when I turned 30, for instance, that was much more momentous. Forty is particularly great for a woman. It's a big thing.

I was very, very shy when I was little. Acting lets you access all those different parts of yourself to make the character authentic.

I have drive, for sure. You have to. It's a tough business; there are a lot of actresses and not a lot of great roles. I don't want to complain because I'm so grateful.