My mother converted to Catholicism to marry my father.

Ninety-eight per cent of actors who actually make a living do so in front of a camera.

Nothing is harder to dramatize than happiness.

Of course I love winning things; I can't tell you how much I enjoy it.

One of the things that you're not really in control of - apart from everything - is your smell.

People tend to view history as if it were another planet and think the modern world was invented in 1963. I don't agree.

Sometimes the weekend gets hijacked by work, but as my mother would say, this is the right problem.

Sometimes you watch one of your favorite shows from 20 years ago and you think, 'I'm loving this, but golly, it's going at the speed of a snail.'

Success means your thoughts are worthy of everyone's consideration.

The '20s are a very interesting period to me.

The business of life is learning that you can't lay down the terms.

The English country house is certainly an icon of British culture.

There is almost nothing in your house that does not tell something about you.

To me, all success is a delightful surprise, since one can absolutely never predict it.

We don't really like rules. We think, in some way, they are an infringement of liberty.

We live a life that is often spent in crowds - parties, festivals and first nights - so it's nice to avoid them.

Well, you've got to be known for something. The danger of extreme versatility is that you don't spring to mind for anything.

What you have to understand about period drama is that it's 'history light.'

When you make your first film, there is a hell of a lot to think about, and you've got to have a gut understanding of your material.

You do get fond of your characters. Handing them on is like giving a child to a nanny.