'As You Like It' was the first Shakespeare production I ever did.

I don't have the confidence to be a personality.

I’m constantly intimidated by Shakespeare’s work. Trying to decipher what he’s saying and holding on to that thought – not just as an actor, but as a human being – is a rigour.

I don’t know any woman who is happy with her looks. I certainly wouldn’t want to be friends with anyone who was.

I don’t want to be a director, or to have responsibility for hundreds of people.

Shakespeare’s taught me that there are more words in the English language than I have got in my head.

I have lots of passions – gardens, art, music and reading. I have eclectic taste and read a huge variety of books.

I absolutely hate clothes shopping, though I love clothes. It’s my idea of heaven to be handed things to wear.

My father’s death from prostate cancer in 1993 was tragic. He never complained about pain. He was a fighter. By the time he was ready to die he wasn’t able to die in the way that he wanted to, which seemed an outrage to me.

And children? 'I don't have any regrets about not having had children. What's the point? It's just something else to beat yourself up over.