Miranda Richardson

“The writing is the springboard for your intuitive stuff and then you see, maybe a colour of what you want to achieve. Then you bring in the technique you've learnt. But when you're on film, you're not always in control of that. That's what makes me believe in a kind of collective unconscious, a sort of experience you draw on.”

“I wouldn't want to go back to my 20s; they were pretty angst-laden times.”

“If I don't believe in a role, I can't pull it off.”

“I need my friends, I need my house, I need my garden.”

“I don't necessarily wait for that massive leading role. I want to keep the juices flowing.”

“Somebody referred to me as a ringleader, which I wouldn't have classed myself as, but anyway, there you go.”

“I have no idea what my persona would be. As far as I'm concerned, I'm changing all the time.”

“Insecurity, commonly regarded as a weakness in normal people, is the basic tool of the actor's trade.”

“It's difficult to keep in touch with someone when you're moving around all the time. I've decided that you can have it all, but you can't have it all, all of the time.”

“אתה יכול לצחוק בלוס אנג'לס, או שאתה יכול לבכות בלוס אנג'לס, זה תלוי בגישה שלך.”

“אני אוהבת את האישיות של הבלגים. הם אקסצנטריים מאוד, וזה משהו שמתגלה בעיצוב שלהם.”

“ 'פמיניזם' הייתה מילה גסה לזמן מה.”

“חוסר ביטחון, הנחשב בדרך כלל כחולשה אצל אנשים נורמליים, הוא הכלי הבסיסי במקצוע של שחקן.”

“אני מעדיפה לעשות הרבה תפקידים קטנים בטלוויזיה, על הבמה או בסרטים מאשר שובר קופות אחד שיעשה אותי עשירה אבל לא יכלול בתוכו משחק.”

“It's a wonderful profession, and it opens lots of doors, and I think it's quite right that people can accuse actors and actresses of being dilettante, but you learn on every job, whatever it is, the process moves you on in some way, and yeah, I want to expand my knowledge of our existence, I suppose.”

“I've never felt stigmatized in my profession, nor have I allowed myself to. I don't feel either male or female, I feel I am just me, and I should be able to do whatever I like.”

“And there's no way I'm going to do Dame Edna.”

“It's the idea that when you say 'actress', people think of an airy, floaty, no-brain person, which of course you can't be if you are an actor. It is an unfortunate word, which is why, for a time, I hung on to 'actor', because it just seemed more workmanlike, you know, like you say 'woman doctor' not 'doctoress'.”

“Feminism was a dirty word for a while.”

“For years, I never knowingly went on a holiday. When I travelled, it was for work. Now I am a huge advocate, particularly to places which have amazing wildlife, such as Antarctica, India and Patagonia.”