Women do well in their thirties. They put their bags down and say, 'This is who I am - like it or lump it.' There is a more relaxed quality, which I like.
— Kelly Reilly
I hate to say that my mother was 'just a housewife', because in addition to that she has had lots of part-time secretarial jobs in factories and hospitals, always working really hard for our family.
I'd love to work on a real girl piece with some fabulous actresses. I feel like I've worked with so many men.
Being at the pinnacle of my career is not to turn up in some multiplex blockbuster.
I'm a theater actress. I love rehearsal. I could have six weeks of rehearsal and think it's not enough. But on film, you don't get that luxury.
We live in a celebrity-obsessed society.
Theatre is where my heart is. It's where I can do my best work. And even if I do films and TV, that's what I want to come back to.
My personal life, my normal life, is so important to me. To be able to go back to my personal life and leave characters behind is important; I don't keep them with me.
I've no wish to appear in celebrity magazines.
I love actresses who are brave and don't do what's expected of them or don't play off how they look or take risks.
I'm not a show-off; I'm not an exhibitionist.
Every job feels like my first.
There is a part of me that is not fulfilled by acting. It is a self-involved life; it can feel shallow, but not very often.
I act because I have to, because I need to find out whether I can do it or not - that's what drives me and excites me and lights me up.
I need someone who understands an artist's mentality. I couldn't be with someone who wouldn't let me have my freedom.
When it comes to my work, I'm fearless. I go with my gut.
Acting has always been such escapism for me.
It's lovely to work with a group of actors who make you laugh and smile.
I'm not temperamentally into high comedy. I'm not a Noel Coward kind of girl.
Auditioning is a horrible experience because you know you are being absolutely scrutinized and judged. There are days where you can do it and days where it's just not happening, and I feel like that's how it is with all artists; you have some days it kind of works.
I'd prefer to go under the radar and just do the acting without being famous for it.
As an actor, you always want to keep it different, change it up, and, you know, just to keep yourself inspired and work with interesting characters.
Obviously, education is hugely important, along with healthcare. They're the basics and you're hurting your own country if you don't pour money into them.
Literally, I don't know where life is gonna go from one day to the next, and that's as exciting as it is tiring.
My family believe you should never be flashy about anything. Maybe that handicapped me a little bit, that extreme humility.
I don't want to be doing fashion shoots and being interviewed about where I shop. Who cares?
The British theatre and establishment is so hard to penetrate, and there are so many talented people involved in it. So, to be counted among some of those actresses... It doesn't get better than that.
You know, I really enjoy longevity. I see actors in their forties and they just turn out these really fabulous roles and characters. You know who they are, but you wouldn't necessarily know their names.
The reason I act is because I'm trying to understand why people are as they are.
When I was younger, I used to write to directors when I was unsure I could play a role. I'd say: 'You've made a terrible mistake.'
At my school, Shakespeare wasn't on the syllabus - at least not for me.
You put yourself on tape as an actor a lot - and you send them off, they go out into the ether, and you have no idea what's going to come back, or when.
I love strong women in films that are allowed to play women and not male fantasies.
I think when you're an actor and you're drawing on your emotions all the time, you need to be quite steady.
My dad is such a good man, hard-working.
