My mother was madly adventurous. My father was an actor - he worked with Gielgud - and my mother came from a very wealthy family. She definitely wasn't meant to marry an actor, but she eloped with him one lunch-time.
— Francesca Annis
I think people should do whatever they want to do. That's the point. Why should you care what other people think or say? You're not living in their pocket.
I can easily sleep from nine to 13 hours a night.
In Europe, we admire grown-up women; I think men revere older women.
In the theatre, once you've gone about eight rows back, everybody else is just listening to you. You're very small, and nobody can really see what you're doing.
Eat well and sleep well. That will feed your nervous system and your psyche. As you get older, you look how you feel.
I never pursued being 'famous.'
So many stars lose their way, and with success become more neurotic, not less so.
Fame and stardom sat very easily on Elizabeth Taylor's shoulders.
I was always going to be a dancer - I drifted into acting.
The funny thing is I'm not bothered or sad about being on my own - after all I've never had a husband.
I turned down a lot of films.
In films people basically work for the camera, you know, and that's why actors can hate each other and not be speaking to each other and still look as if they're in love because really they're loving the camera loving them.
Each decade, I've lived in that decade, so I could easily shed the '20s, the '30s, the '40s.
You can love more than one person in your life, but things will be different. There'll be a different dynamic. Needs and desires change.
There is not enough celebration of companionship. Relationships aren't just about eroticism and sexuality.
The minute anyone's getting anxious I say, You must eat and you must sleep. They're the two vital elements for a healthy life.
The biggest privilege I've had in my life is being able to make a choice. If you make a choice, it can't be a wrong choice because it seemed like a good idea at the time.
I've never been too afraid of what other people have said, especially when I was younger, but I suppose that was the arrogance of youth.
I have always done exercise because I was a dancer, and it is probably good for you. I have done yoga consistently.
I come from a very hospitable, close, Catholic, matriarchal family.
From 1 till 7, when we moved to England, I spoke only Portuguese.
It's not so much the dressing up, but I love the idea of moving and existing in a different time.
Everyone has class, one class or another.
You can be revered for all sorts of qualities, but to be truly charismatic is rare. Elizabeth Taylor was, for me, one of those rarities.
We all know now that people can look good for their age. It isn't so extraordinary, I don't know why people go on about it so much.
I've always kept fit but I've been doing gym and yoga and will be throwing my stilettoes away for a while!
After all my various relationships I find myself now home alone.
I don't think the media circus has ever been a shock to my life seeing as I was with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor when I was 17.
I like working in theatre now and I think that once you've done a certain amount of films most actors love working in the theatre because of the camaraderie.
I don't want three million people digesting my private life over their cornflakes.
When I was starting out, young actresses had the studio system to protect them. Now you have a host of sharks, from your agent to your publicist to your lawyer.
The wonderful thing about acting is you move along with your decade. The older you get, the more interesting the parts you get to play and you bring more of your personal experience to the part.
The first thing you have to do is accept that decay sets in and there's nothing you can do about it.
I like having a good time. It's probably my mother's Brazilian genes in me - party, party.
My children were brought up with their grandparents, and I was brought up with my grandparents. I think the continuity of moving through life together gives people a certain pride and sense of security.
I'm not bothered or sad about being on my own - after all, I've never had a husband.
I think you live a fuller life with someone else, you know, you're firing on all cylinders. It can be a nightmare at times, we all know that, but nevertheless in the end I think to have someone else's input on anything - a book, a meal, your children, life, a walk - is fantastic.
An interview has become such a confrontational thing. It makes you very defensive.
Exposure makes you famous, not just good work. Famous is being plastered everywhere.
Everything is about class in England, whether it's upper, lower or middle. Why should that be?
Truly charismatic people, in my experience, don't come along very often.
I was seen dancing at school by a director, who asked me to be in a TV play. And it had a huge impact. So I think that's what really started me off.
I have got a few misters interested but nobody special these days.
I don't regret the passing of time. I try to live in the present, which should mean my life's full.
My parents were hugely supportive like that. I was always the best - it's so embarrassing, isn't it? I was always the best at everything.
From one till seven, when we moved to England, I spoke only Portuguese. But I can't speak a word of it now.
You have to be careful not to let your fear stop you doing things. It's very exciting to test yourself.
Too often, older women are seen as victims, but I know lots of formidable women who have marvellous jobs as well as a full erotic life, and children and friends and family.
The thing about doing anything artificial to your hair is that you have to look after it. So you're always vulnerable to the weather and time.
