Diane Kruger

I realized through my personal travels how little I know about certain conflicts, because I was too vain or self-absorbed to ask the questions. That's been the focus while I'm in my thirties - to become an accomplished woman, rather than some actress.

What counts in Hollywood is box office. It doesn't really matter what people think of you as an actor because, as long as you have been in a movie that has made money, you will always get another job.

I really feel like the first day I went to drama school and I went up on stage, that I found my vocation. It's kind of a cliched thing to say but I really feel like it was what I was meant to do.

I find that classical music helps put me in a place that is very calming and allows me to express emotion through my body. I played clarinet as a child, so I guess I have a bit of a musical ear.

Looking back at it now, I really feel like it was a gift because I don't know if I have the talent to become a prima ballerina. It's such a hard job to have. I don't have any regrets about it.

You always have to challenge yourself or else you get soft. Right?

It's maybe hard to believe, but as a kid I really had a lot of self-doubts. My father was very ill - he was an alcoholic - so there were a lot of things that built up for me. And because I was going to a Catholic school in a small German town, a lot of it was suppressed. I was angry and didn't know how to get it out.

My sport is biking. I'm not much of a gym person, but I like being outside - hiking, canoeing, camping.

I've worked with actors who were very helpful and a lot better than I was.

Being German, I think we don't really express a lot of things.

I'm not a very good impersonator, my friends maybe, but not famous people.

Every actor you learn from, take something from everyone - big actor or not. Whether they're big movie stars or not doesn't really matter.