I knew I could not cope with the future unless I was able to rediscover the past.

Wealth, beauty, and fame are transient. When those are gone, little is left except the need to be useful.

Throughout my career, I was to be cast as a frontier girl, an aristocrat, an Arabian, a Eurasian, a Polynesian, and a Chinese.

The word actress has always seemed less a job description to me than a title.

I had the option of building a career in the U.S. Many of my friends who went at the time did not come back, but for me, building the family business and being with family was worth it. I became a general manager within four months, as I used my education to improve productivity and output.

From the time I entered the industry, I have always been clear about certain things - no short clothes, no kissing, no bikinis. Nobody comes to me with such roles. And I have no dearth of work.

The worst thing about being a freelance film director is that you're scrambling around Soho with a briefcase, looking for somewhere to make phone calls. That was my position for 10 years.

Being an entrepreneur is tough. Really, really tough.