Having my own family has made me realise there's more to life than chasing the next job.
'Pride And Prejudice' takes place in a similar period to 'Vanity Fair,' and yet there's a huge difference between Jane Austen and Thackeray.
Being an actor does make you aware of your age.
I wouldn't feel comfortable talking to someone I didn't know very well and, beyond that person, a readership of X millions, about things I think are private.
I was told it might be quite difficult to conceive, so it really was a great blessing when my pregnancy suddenly happened. I had been diagnosed years ago with polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can affect your fertility - but luckily, in my case, it didn't.
As an actor, I'm in such a privileged position because my work is job by job. If something doesn't fit in with family life, there's more flexibility.
I love my work, and I feel fortunate to be doing a job I love, but it isn't the centre of my life.
Acting was a slow-burn thing. I found it was something I really, really liked doing, but it wasn't until my third year at drama school that I actually thought, 'Oh, right, I'm trained for this now; I'd better see if I can do it.'
I know some people are really comfortable with talking about their feelings and hopes and fears in public, but I'm not, and I don't think it's that extraordinary.
My family weren't actors, and we didn't know any actors. It wasn't even something I was aware you could do as a job. I thought you had to be a Redgrave or a Barrymore before you were allowed to go to drama school.
It's funny landing parts now where I'm somebody's mum. I remember the first time I was asked to play a mum. I was easily old enough, but because I didn't have any children, I thought, 'That seems really grown-up.'
Getting older doesn't bother me. When I was 30, I thought I should have achieved more, but you get more comfortable and think it's time to stop putting pressure on yourself.
I know it sounds ridiculous, but I haven't quite got over the miracle that you plant things, and they do sprout up.
I love acting. It's what I do, not what I am.
I love rehearsing; it's the best part of the job.
By the time I was 10, I had lived in 11 different countries.
I'm not cool at all. I'm the least cool person I know.
I have this sense of humour which is about as sophisticated as a seven-year-old schoolboy. I get very overexcited and silly.
I'm guilty of it myself, sort of thinking, 'Classic novels: snoozeville.' But there is a huge amount of wonderful material.
Period drama is such a huge umbrella term: it seems to cover everything from Claudius to something from the 1920s.
