Imelda Staunton

The one good thing is that I get a lot more good scripts coming through my letterbox. 'Vera Drake' raised my profile in one way, and then 'Harry Potter' in another.

Fortunately my career has never been about how I look, it's about how I can be.

Look at Judi Dench, who's brilliant in whatever bloody job she does.

I've fallen over on stage a couple of times, but I've only ever bruised my ego.

A lot of film stars are just playing themselves in different frocks.

You can be very famous without being a great actress, and that's not good for me.

There are lots of wonderful actors doing animated films these days, but I prefer it when you can't recognise them - it means they've really become the character.

Both my parents had heart problems: my mother had type 2 diabetes, and my father had a stroke.

You could say I'm a character actress. Or maybe a character actress who does peculiar, interesting lead roles.

You could say I'm a character actress. Or maybe a character actress who does peculiar, interesting lead roles. Does that make sense?

I adore Bette Davis and Vivien Leigh, but more because they were good actresses. That's what makes me interested in them, that they didn't present themselves as idols; they were just doing their jobs.

I've always liked new writing.