When we went to war at the Falklands, Buck Kernan had to shake each man's hand as we boarded a boat for war.

The first time I learned I could sell myself was when I convinced a wealthy American family to give me a job as a nanny. Childcare. Totally unqualified. But I learned to be ready for anything. And that I can adapt. That I can become the best diaper changer.

My dad is a little Scottish guy with tattoos all over his arms.

In the British military system, there is a very strict chain of command. Americans just want to win, and the correct strategy may be to speak directly to the men.

I was a section commander in the parachute regiment [in the British army].

My mother never criticized any idea I had. She thought anybody could have anything. Even if I was in a poor family that worked at Ford Motor Company and lived in Dagenham. I could have told my mother that I wanted to work in pantomime. And she'd have said, "Great. I can help you."

As a viewer I came of age during a time when cast members were prone to fistfights. So I may be carrying a little of that kind of image in my head.