Actress

I have managed to get through that tricky turn into your 50s with two great roles. It is great to see characters for women of a certain age.

Watching your own work doesn't get any easier.

I got married only because I was pregnant. Simple as that. I am a very traditional girl and was horrified at the thought of having a child out of wedlock. I didn't want a child of mine to be different or have fingers pointed at.

You have to have brilliant people to work opposite, and then it does become like a real tennis match and this is our sport. With somebody like Mark Lewis Jones, who is extraordinary anyway, you just know it's going to be a good match.

It's not something I'm embarrassed about. Depression is an issue that tends to be brushed under the carpet. My hope is that if people with a public profile are prepared to talk about it, then it might prompt other people to talk about it too.

The writing is only ever the attractive thing about a part. And also if all the elements within the writing come together - the character and the structure and the narrative - if they are all there then you become excited.

I think women have not been terribly kind to other women for a very long time.

Am I attracted to people who want to give other people a voice? Yes I am, and that may be a 'common denominator with the characters that I play.

But I am Northern myself, and there is a certain rhythm of Northern speech that is very comical: that combination of the choice of language and the speech rhythm, which in itself is very funny.

Working on 'The Paradise' is like putting on a comfy overcoat.

I suppose trying not to fancy Richard Gere - that's been quite hard!

Marriage is not for everyone, but spiritually it is very necessary for me because I have a desire, a need to feel owned.

My father was a TV scriptwriter. He would perform his dialogue out loud, while my mum transcribed it at the typewriter. So I grew up thinking that plucking characters out of the air was an extremely normal way to behave.

I think going to university, getting married, having children, and then having the choice to stay at home to raise those children is a very valid one for women and they shouldn't be castigated for it. It's a great job. Not many men would do it.

I've learnt that it's possible to be as anonymous as you want. It's a choice, and I've become very, very good at being anonymous.

I'm not always right for the role. And to be honest I think part of your job as an actor is knowing when you're not right for the role.

In my early days depression did inhibit me because I was too debilitated and terrified to tell anyone why I couldn't get on a train from Manchester for auditions in London.

My family on my mother's side is Irish.

Young people are often portrayed in a very negative and stereotypical manner.

I'm not terribly good at being around work I don't care about!