Actress

To have the kind of success I have had is really amazing, and I am incredibly grateful.

At Cambridge, it was the weirdest culture. Everyone pretended they didn't do any work, yet it was so competitive.

Kids should be naughty and go through that rebellious phase I didn't have.

I have many different sides; I can be the life and soul of the party - or a wallflower.

What I generally get from being in Africa is a sense of warmth and openness. As a stranger, you are always welcomed into people's homes and people are always offering you food. That generosity is incredibly touching.

There weren't really any visible men in my family when I was growing up, but of course there have been men in my life, wonderful men.

I try to be upbeat. I read this book which tells you to write down everything that you're grateful for each day. Now I'm constantly noticing all the little things that make me joyful.

We eat food all the time and don't really understand what goes into something like bread.

I know a lot of actors who get a part and then they dissect it and they want to change it and they want to add stuff. I'm always amazed and so impressed by actors who do that.

Actors need steely determination. It's a tough profession with plenty of knocks along the way. You have to be very determined and never take 'no' for an answer.

I started acting when I was seven. And I went to a local drama school which is very well-known in London. Because of that, I started getting jobs, and I worked all the time as a child, pretty much non-stop.

For some reason, I just lack that ability to be embarrassed about going up to people. I even do it for friends if they want to ask someone out.

It's true about the eyes being the window to the soul. Your face can be etched with worry, and twisted by ageing, but the eyes tell the true story of who you are.

Your boss is only human and just wants the best from you.

Make-up is an extension of your clothes.

You don't need to follow trends to be stylish.

As a society we should be encouraging people out of the debt-culture mindset, not promoting it.

I don't think I have the assets to play the more traditional Bond Girl.

I love Sam Mendes. He's a fantastic director.

I did not enjoy Cambridge. But I shouldn't blame Cambridge alone. I wasn't ready for university or for the wrench of leaving home. It was a big cultural shock.