Jessica Brown Findlay

“I don't know if I'm so righteous.”

“I'm starting to shake it off, I am quite self-conscious, and it's only when I'm playing roles that I can escape that. The older I get, the more people tell me it's absolutely fine to be the way you are with all your quirks and nuances, and I wish I'd learnt that younger - I would have relaxed a bit more.”

“Ever since I was young, I've read Austen and the Brontes. My friends laugh, but those books are always so tragic and wonderful - those stories, they're just incredible.”

“Everything you listen to when you are 17 should be embarrassing, otherwise you are way too cool.”

“At 17, we all think we know what we're doing.”

“I trained as a ballet dancer and fell in love with Rudolf Nureyev; I thought him the most beautiful creature. My mum had to break it to me that not only was he gay, but he was dead.”

“On the surface, it's really easy to dismiss certain characters, but sometimes you find that the most interesting parts are disappointingly shallow. It's your job as an actress to pull that person apart, and work out why they act the way that they do.”

“I filmed 'Albatross' before I got 'Downton.' It's a coming-of-age movie about this girl who leaps into this family's life, like a whirlwind. She's ballsy and brash and wonderful, it was such an amazing character to play.”

“There's a reason hobble skirts are called hobble skirts. You literally can't move very far in them.”

“I have endless playlists on my iPod so will throw on, say, Bruce Springsteen or The Smiths, depending on what kind of day I'm going to have.”

“Sometimes when a scene is written or directed to be shouted or played incredibly angrily, I always think it's way more terrifying when someone is fuming and talks in a very calm way. I always want people to shout at me if they're angry - it freaks me out that whole thing of, 'I'm not angry I'm just disappointed.'”

“I don't mind giving everyone a shock - including myself.”

“I just really think every job I do, I get this gypsy attitude to money.”

“I'm really into strong, female roles - but they don't have to necessarily be loud - I'm just as interested in introverts too.”

“Girls in scripts are often pretty but brainless, or geeky and no one likes them, so it's great to find richer roles. Chalk and cheese aspects of people are very interesting to play.”

“I love when people become obsessed with 'Downton.'”

“I remember stealing some pic n' mix when I was seven; when I got out of the shop, I burst into tears.”

“My style icons would be people like Brigitte Bardot and old Hollywood actresses who always look so stunning, cool and chic. I like classic and timeless looks.”

“Unfortunately I had an ankle problem and underwent three operations.”

“You don't automatically assume everyone will fall for a period drama.”