My auditions for drama school were miserable, but one thing I had on my side, although I had no experience or skill or training, was that I wanted to learn everything.

My father started his own business, and before that was a freelance lecturer, and my friends are artists and musicians; they don't have real jobs - none of us have real jobs.

My great grandparents are Scottish, and I have this very tenuous connection which I try and bump up whenever I can, because I'd much rather be Scottish than English.

The accent in England can change literally from street to street, and people have this sort of feudal tribalism whereby you can identify somebody's provenance by their voice.

There are some great actors I don't want to meet because I don't want to know how they did it. I don't want to know anything about their personal life, and the illusion, or whatever it is, the shape-shiftery magic stuff that they do, which is my joy.

There are two qualities that I've noticed in good directors: One is that they have their vision very strongly in place; and two is that they listen to everyone's opinion and still remember their vision.

Everybody has many people inside of them; I think we tend to present the one we feel is most appropriate at first, in order to gain acceptance or achieve what we want. It gets really interesting when this technique fails, and other levels are revealed.

I like Scottish people because they feel very true. They're always level and straight. They get a reputation for being hardened because of it, but I find them to be scrupulously honest people.

Edinburgh is so cultural and such a beautiful place to walk around.

I can only go places because I know that I can go away from them, if that makes sense. I like the gypsy lifestyle that filming affords.

I don't have a publicist. I don't go to events or self-promote, or endorse things, or whatever it is people are meant to do in that world.

I don't really use the Internet or the newspapers to find out about people.

I don't think you can decide how famous or not you become.

I grew up in the countryside in the middle of nowhere in England and got out as soon as I could!

I really love living in cities where the people living above, below and next to you are from totally different worlds to you.

I think saying you're bad at something is rather wonderful because then it doesn't matter anymore.

I think you can decide how much of yourself you're willing to make public.

I'll tell you, there's no goodies and baddies in the world, there's just people with intentions that sometimes clash.

I'm a terrible dancer.

I'm only really interested in taking a part if it's nothing like me.