I have had the most wonderful childhood, and I was raised in a very loving family. And it was nothing short of an amazing privilege because I was incredibly lucky to be able to play up in trees and make it like silly dens in a bush and stuff like that.
It is so inspirational, to see that in the world of Westeros, men are answering to women, and they are a force to be reckoned with. It's empowering, and it's inspirational as well, because you're just like, 'This is great!'
You always try to play it off cool, but even if I think I have a certain laidback body language when I'm meeting someone who I greatly admire, I still have this horrible tendency to go bright red.
I wish I were as tough and strong as the women that I'm lucky enough to portray.
Working on 'Honeymoon,' an independent movie, was almost like working on TV with the space, and everything was stripped down - costume and hair and makeup. There was very little to hide behind, and you absolutely had to create the character from within.
Certainly part of being from a big family is that you have to shout to make yourself heard.
It's kind of ridiculous, but I hate creepy crawlers. Like centipedes. It's just the fact that they have so many legs! I am not great with spiders either. That absolutely creeps me out.
I think it's important to change and not be associated with your character too much.
For a 'GOT' premiere, I wore a white dress by Antonio Berardi, which fitted beautifully. And I felt empowered by the Jenny Packham gown I wore for 'The Last Witch Hunter' premiere. That is the beauty of the designer - to help a woman or man feel that way.
First and foremost, Scotland is my home, and I do consider myself Scottish, but I also feel very British, and I hope that Scotland stays within the Union. I have a real concern about independence.
I'm doing a bit of theatre: I'm doing a Mike Bartlett play called 'Contractions.' I'm very, very happy and lucky to be going back to the stage.
People say how come I'm from Scotland yet I sound like the Queen?! I went to boarding school in Somerset, which has probably got something to do with it.
Now that I know how to handle a bow and arrow, I find it very therapeutic. It is a brilliant way to ease your mind, so I am going to keep it up in my free time. It is a very fun skill to have.
'Luther' is raw and brutal like 'Game Of Thrones,' but it's coincidence. If I'm drawn to anything, it would be the writing. Choosing a project is an organic process where I'm taken in by the character and storyline, not the genre, whether fantasy or gritty and raw.
The universe is so enormous, and we have no idea what's on the other side of the galaxy. It's a lovely thing to be able to tap into. I'm definitely not opposed to any supernatural ideas, but I've never encountered any. I believe in spirits, but I've never seen a ghost. And I believe in Heaven and Hell.
I know my beliefs. I know where I stand on issues and concerns, and I feel that there is the right platform to tackle those concerns. And if you're lucky enough to have a voice on something you have knowledge, then speak your mind, but only really for things for which you have an input.
I've played American characters before, so I've naturally become more at ease. Still, there are some American words that I cannot get my tongue around, but if you keep it flowing, you are never too far away from the truth.
I do love archery in my day-to-day life because I find it very therapeutic, and I've trained every season with the bow and arrow.
Mum and Dad paid me 50 pence, which was a lot of money when I was 8 years old, not to dye my hair.
With 'Honeymoon,' it was so intimate, and we literally shot it in something like 20, 24 days. Everything was very rapid and very fast, and so all of us submerged into the deep end and only really came up for air once we had wrapped.
