Gina Bellman

“One of the things that takes a bit of getting used to on an American series is having a different director, and often writer, every week.”

“I don't like dressing up, and I don't like putting on make-up or doing the red carpet. The only red carpet events I go to are if I'm supporting a friend.”

“There was a time when going out to parties and dinner parties and clubs was an exciting thing to do. I'd wake up in the morning and immediately think, 'Now what am I doing tonight?' Now I'd be more likely to reach for a book.”

“I'm not really that keen on mainstream; I'm not interested in doing the normal films. I do tend to go for the quirky, different scripts.”

“I carried on acting during school holidays and was all set to go to drama school when I was offered my first professional job appearing in 'King David' with Richard Gere.”

“Every name in a TV show has to be run by the legal department first.”

“I started elocution lessons because I was being teased, and I had a brilliant drama teacher. At the age of 14, I appeared at the National Theatre in 'The Crucible.'”

“Fans believe they have a relationship with you, either through your TV character or, more reasonably, through the tweets you may have exchanged. In a way, you have gotten to know them. You learn about people's kids, families, pets.”

“Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job is to reach out to the fans, managing websites, Twitter feeds, Facebook and Wikipedia.”

“French cinema allows women to look... a certain way and be talented at the same time.”

“I am a big comedy fan, having been in 'Coupling.'”

“When I had the wonderful occasion to play a goofball, Jane, in 'Coupling,' it was definitely an homage to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who I just think is a genius.”

“I think there was a petition online to get me involved in 'Doctor Who.' I'm not a 'Doctor Who' fanatic, but I am a Steven Moffat fanatic.”

“One of the things you have to be acutely aware of when shooting episodes out of order is your character's relationship with the other characters.”

“I eat tons, three full meals a day, and I never go to the gym. When I was a child, my geography teacher said, 'You may be slim now but if you carry on eating like that, you'll end up being really fat.' Fortunately, I really don't think I've changed much in the past two decades, so that teacher was an idiot.”

“The only time I get recognised is when I go somewhere that is showing 'Coupling' on local television.”

“Some directors are really strong on action, manhandling you around the set; others are very focused on setting up the camera shots and practically ignore you. You have to get used to introverts, extroverts, directors who clown around for the crew, and the odd one who's monosyllabic.”

“When you shoot on high-definition, everything is very sharp and clear, sometimes at the cost of losing dimension and depth of field.”