Comedians... they're different from actors. There's more ego there. They create the whole thing, I guess, so they're more precious.

I'll cry anywhere because I can do it quite subtly. Walking, that's a good time to have a cry.

I think the best comedy is tragicomic. Yeah, I suppose if you were to look at everything I've done, there is a bit of a black streak through all of it. It's not deliberate: it's what makes me laugh, and there's a fine tradition of it, especially in Ireland.

I never felt like I had to rebel against my convent upbringing, because it was comparatively regular.

No matter how many frustrations come along, or how many problems arise, I never lose the feeling of how lucky I am. I'm so pleased to be doing a job that makes me laugh every day. I'm aware that it's a huge privilege.

Stresses in a marriage and in family life, sometimes they're prompted by whatever is going on in the wider world as well as what's going on behind your door.

I was the kid who liked making other people laugh, so maybe the comedy came before the acting.