I don't want to be famous as a movie star and have the whole world love me I want to be a creative actress.

It's not that I don't want to become famous or that I'm obsessed by my work as an actress but it's all about not limiting myself such as putting myself in a little jail that I can escape from.

But things move in circles: one minute it's the models who are famous then it's the actresses then it's the designers.

I made a conscious decision back then that I would rather be the best actress who ever lived than the most famous one.

It's very difficult today for girls to become supermodels. There is a lot more competition a lot of countries in the East have opened up so there are many more models than there were in the Nineties. Now they have to compete with famous actresses but also with say reality stars to be on the magazine covers.

A lot of people are like 'So you want to be famous.' And I'm like 'No I want to be good at my craft. I don't care about fame I don't care if I even ever make it. As long as people know what I am as an actress in this business I'm set for my career right now.'

Some of the things I've seen a lot of my female-actress friends who are relatively famous receive - I've seen some hideous things. Like some really really bad things... like the FBI should be contacted immediately.

Being a famous actress may give you a sense of being important but believe me it's just an illusion.

I always loved working as an actress but I didn't understand why I couldn't just opt out of being famous. And then I realized you can and I think I did. And eventually I came to understand that you can do that and also keep working.

When I started out I didn't have any desire to be an actress or to learn how to act. I just wanted to be famous.

I hate how box-office failures are blamed on an actress yet I don't see a box-office failure blamed on men.

I believe that being an actress or being involved in a movie has to be a life experience otherwise why go for it? I have to change me and I have to learn things and I have to push me and my limits. By acting I find a freedom inside of a prison in a way.

As an actress it's part of your job to be able to imagine just about anything - even if it's not within your personal experience.

What I got which was unusual especially as a child actress was parents who believed that Hollywood was not that important. They told us education family health all come first and they meant it.

For every successful actor or actress there are countless numbers who don't make it. The name of the game is rejection. You go to an audition and you're told you're too tall or you're too Irish or your nose is not quite right. You're rejected for your education you're rejected for this or that and it's really tough.

When you're a young English person who wants to be an actress and you have dreams you dream of being Vanessa Redgrave or Judi Dench.

I like starting off the new year fresh. I'm excited to see how 2013 turns out. Maybe because I'm an actress and I am always on a diet and fitness program but my New Year's resolution is to let myself be nice to myself about my body.

You know I had my mother and my father convincing me that he would be going back to Hollywood and he'd be back with the actresses and dating them and that he wasn't serious about me at all. So I had him saying one thing to me and my parents telling me something else.

My grandmother was an actress too. In the thirties and forties she was under contract with Universal Studios. Crazy credits lots of them. My dad was also under contract with Universal Studios. And my first film was shot on the same stage they both worked on at Universal.

I love Joan Collins. She's a wonderful lady. She has such courage. She's such a good actress.

When I was straight I had the courage and energy to become an actress. I owe my career to my will to stop using.

I wanted to be an actress. I think it had a lot to do with being a kid and watching how every time my dad would stand up to talk people would applaud... that was pretty cool.

Ten years ago it was really difficult for a young actress to walk onto a set and disagree with the director and having that be OK and have a conversation about it and everyone be cool with it.

You have to be the best of whatever you are but successful cool actresses come in all shapes and sizes.