Actress

I don't believe in expending energy on something you can't do anything about. If there was some easy way of fixing things, I'd probably do it.

I consulted a Chinese herbalist and spent two weeks on an island off the coast of Zanzibar. I was away from any kind of contemporary technology.

I used to suffer from excessive pride. Well, I got over that one.

It's not so much the dressing up, but I love the idea of moving and existing in a different time.

I like working in theatre now and I think that once you've done a certain amount of films most actors love working in the theatre because of the camaraderie.

I don't need a piece of paper to suggest that I can commit myself.

I have yet to see a drama that puts forward women who are successful and also have a family... they are nearly always seen as victims.

If people think I look good, it's the make-up.

Having children with someone is the real bond.

I don't regret the passing of time. I try to live in the present, which should mean my life's full.

My mother was madly adventurous. My father was an actor - he worked with Gielgud - and my mother came from a very wealthy family. She definitely wasn't meant to marry an actor, but she eloped with him one lunch-time.

You can love more than one person in your life, but things will be different. There'll be a different dynamic. Needs and desires change.

Eat well and sleep well. That will feed your nervous system and your psyche. As you get older, you look how you feel.

The funny thing is I'm not bothered or sad about being on my own - after all I've never had a husband.

In the theatre, once you've gone about eight rows back, everybody else is just listening to you. You're very small, and nobody can really see what you're doing.

In Europe, we admire grown-up women; I think men revere older women.

My children were brought up with their grandparents, and I was brought up with my grandparents. I think the continuity of moving through life together gives people a certain pride and sense of security.

Everyone has class, one class or another.

When I was starting out, young actresses had the studio system to protect them. Now you have a host of sharks, from your agent to your publicist to your lawyer.

I've never been too afraid of what other people have said, especially when I was younger, but I suppose that was the arrogance of youth.