Natasha Little

“I was told it might be quite difficult to conceive, so it really was a great blessing when my pregnancy suddenly happened. I had been diagnosed years ago with polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can affect your fertility - but luckily, in my case, it didn't.”

“It's funny landing parts now where I'm somebody's mum. I remember the first time I was asked to play a mum. I was easily old enough, but because I didn't have any children, I thought, 'That seems really grown-up.'”

“I've enjoyed all the work I've done, and I feel quite lucky that I haven't been playing sweet girls all the time.”

“I wouldn't feel comfortable talking to someone I didn't know very well and, beyond that person, a readership of X millions, about things I think are private.”

“As an actor, I'm in such a privileged position because my work is job by job. If something doesn't fit in with family life, there's more flexibility.”

“I love acting. It's what I do, not what I am.”

“'Pride And Prejudice' takes place in a similar period to 'Vanity Fair,' and yet there's a huge difference between Jane Austen and Thackeray.”

“It might be quite boring if you did something and thought it was perfect.”

“I really like working, the opportunity to work with good people and to play interesting parts.”

“I've been very fortunate.”

“Acting was a slow-burn thing. I found it was something I really, really liked doing, but it wasn't until my third year at drama school that I actually thought, 'Oh, right, I'm trained for this now; I'd better see if I can do it.'”

“Having my own family has made me realise there's more to life than chasing the next job.”

“By the time I was 10, I had lived in 11 different countries.”

“Being an actor does make you aware of your age.”

“I know some people are really comfortable with talking about their feelings and hopes and fears in public, but I'm not, and I don't think it's that extraordinary.”

“I have this sense of humour which is about as sophisticated as a seven-year-old schoolboy. I get very overexcited and silly.”

“Period drama is such a huge umbrella term: it seems to cover everything from Claudius to something from the 1920s.”

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but I haven't quite got over the miracle that you plant things, and they do sprout up.”

“I love my work, and I feel fortunate to be doing a job I love, but it isn't the centre of my life.”

“My family weren't actors, and we didn't know any actors. It wasn't even something I was aware you could do as a job. I thought you had to be a Redgrave or a Barrymore before you were allowed to go to drama school.”