Naomie Harris

“There weren't really any visible men in my family when I was growing up, but of course there have been men in my life, wonderful men.”

“I was too much of an innocent when I went to university.”

“My mum believes in me almost more than I believe in myself.”

“I still pray a lot. I still believe in God. I just don't believe in any set religion.”

“I love doing a film with a new bunch of people.”

“You don't need to follow trends to be stylish.”

“As a society we should be encouraging people out of the debt-culture mindset, not promoting it.”

“Yes, I'm obsessed with health, which has been an interesting journey. I went down the raw-food diet route, but got ill. It was really hard, especially in Britain in winter, trying to survive on raw carrots. I became so ill and anemic, so I stopped that and became a vitamin junkie. I just ate lots of vegetables, exercised and breathed.”

“I love Sam Mendes. He's a fantastic director.”

“Kids should be naughty and go through that rebellious phase I didn't have.”

“What I generally get from being in Africa is a sense of warmth and openness. As a stranger, you are always welcomed into people's homes and people are always offering you food. That generosity is incredibly touching.”

“Actors need steely determination. It's a tough profession with plenty of knocks along the way. You have to be very determined and never take 'no' for an answer.”

“Be open and honest, but perceptive to your boss's situation. That's my advice to graduates worried about working with a new boss.”

“I've never been that person who wants a Rolls Royce or wants to live in a mansion or what have you.”

“I think the role of the Bond woman has changed so much over the years that it now doesn't follow a typical archetypical view. Before, it was very much a beautiful woman who didn't contribute much and who usually ended up getting killed or was arm candy for Bond. But now the women in a Bond movie have so much more to offer.”

“I know a lot of actors who get a part and then they dissect it and they want to change it and they want to add stuff. I'm always amazed and so impressed by actors who do that.”

“I'm incredibly impatient; I'd like to be less so, and more content with the now.”

“There are certain expectations that are put on you as a child actor, but mainly it's just turn up and say your lines with a lot of energy and a cute smile.”

“I like to believe that we all pray to the same god.”

“It's true about the eyes being the window to the soul. Your face can be etched with worry, and twisted by ageing, but the eyes tell the true story of who you are.”