I never wanted to be like anyone growing up. It's always been about the enjoyment, and I've just never wanted to imitate anyone.

I've always sung. I was really into musical theater when I was growing up. As a kid, I listened to Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone, actually, on cassette tapes.

This is going to sound really sad, but I didn't really have any heartthrobs when I was growing up. I was a bit of a geek.

Watching and learning from the great Josette Bushell-Mingo, who was playing Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at the time, and then to return to the same stage six months later playing a lead role, was incredible - I fell in love with the poetry and the breadth of the language so much that I didn't want it to end.