It's not about the money with me.

Most of my life, I've been on a film set. There isn't anything to learn, not learn, unlearn. It's just in me.

My family don't watch a lot of what I do. Films are a bit too arty-farty for them, certainly the ones I do!

My mind boggles at the amount of violence inflicted upon children in today's society.

My name can raise money on a small-budget film.

On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.

People often ask me, was it hard to play this person or that person? Well, no, not really. Acting is what I do. It's my job.

Some directors cast you because they trust you to do the performance - but then they forget to direct you.

The truth is I had lots of rehab and now I have a clean bill of health.

To be honest with you, a lot of directors can be very lazy.

You get very possessive about characters, you feel you can see it in your mind and you want to play it.

Your spirit is your spirit, whether you're religious or whatever.

For anyone who's been in care, successfully coming through the system is nothing to with money or success; it's the ability to feel love and be loved in return.

I think anybody who has been abused as a kid - and I was abused as a kid, by various people - will say it's irrational because violence is irrational.

I think there's a very fine line between the type of performing that some actors do, and being in a state in your mind where you actually believe what's going on. If we weren't actors, what would we do with that ability? Would we not be slightly insane? Mentally ill? I don't know.

I wanted to make a film - and I've been wanting to do this for 16 years - about life in care, and bring it to the public's attention, because I had never seen anything, on TV or in the cinema, which said: 'This is how it feels to be a kid in care'.

I'm not a writer. I think I can write short stories and poetry, but film writing, brilliant film writing, is a talent - you can't just do it like that.

If I'm preparing for something and I've got a huge day the next day, I have to get into character the night before to assess the scene. I can't assess a scene unless I'm in character, if that makes sense.

The thing with me is, if I wake up one morning and I'm not happy working as an actress, I'll stop. It's not something I have to do. It's not a vocation.

We're all living blinkered lives, and we're not seeing what's going on and looking to change it. I'm not saying that everyone has to make a political statement, but we need to be more aware of what's happening and why.