'Othello' was my first Shakespearean discovery. I was obsessed with drama at school, and I studied t...
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'Othello' was my first Shakespearean discovery. I was obsessed with drama at school, and I studied the play for my English GCSE. Desdemona is the part that everyone wants, but Iago's wife Emilia is the one I've always been drawn to.
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It's always fun to play dress up.
It's always fun to play dress up.
My godchildren went to see Taylor Swift in concert and got to meet her. They literally ran toward he...
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My godchildren went to see Taylor Swift in concert and got to meet her. They literally ran toward her and hugged her, and it was amazing. I got big bonus points for it. I'll remind them when they're teenagers.
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People will consider me a part of their lives for however long Downton Abbey (2010) lasts. It's a lo...
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People will consider me a part of their lives for however long Downton Abbey (2010) lasts. It's a lovely thing to feel as an actor.
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I think the success of 'Downton' is partly because there are effectively 18 leading characters, all ...
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I think the success of 'Downton' is partly because there are effectively 18 leading characters, all given equal importance, so it's enormously involving on many levels. But also, it's a new story. It's not like Dickens or Austen, where everyone knows the denouement.
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The whole acting game can sometimes be a bit false, and you meet a lot of people in it for the fame ...
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The whole acting game can sometimes be a bit false, and you meet a lot of people in it for the fame - so there's nothing I love more than going back to Essex.
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It is impossible to watch a Friends (1994) episode too many times. Phoebe is my favorite character. ...
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It is impossible to watch a Friends (1994) episode too many times. Phoebe is my favorite character. I used to play her songs on the guitar when I was a teenager. 'Smelly Cat' is very easy. It's only about three chords.
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I just enjoy acting, whatever area - theatre, film, television.
I just enjoy acting, whatever area - theatre, film, television.
For years, I was often afraid to speak up when I didn't fully understand a script. I'd tie myself in...
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For years, I was often afraid to speak up when I didn't fully understand a script. I'd tie myself in knots.
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It's old news, me and my accent, but it always seems to make headlines.
It's old news, me and my accent, but it always seems to make headlines.
A good friend of mine works at Oxfam and has been closely involved in the charity's aid efforts in S...
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A good friend of mine works at Oxfam and has been closely involved in the charity's aid efforts in Syria.
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I come from a very working-class background, so my family would have been downstairs in the past, as...
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I come from a very working-class background, so my family would have been downstairs in the past, as opposed to upstairs. People are often quite surprised to hear that, that I'm not actually posh.
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I loved the 'Die Hard' films growing up and the 'Taken' movies. They're so entertaining, and I enjoy...
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I loved the 'Die Hard' films growing up and the 'Taken' movies. They're so entertaining, and I enjoy being on the edge of my seat.
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In my twenties, I was a bit of a worrier; it bothered me what people thought of me, what job I was d...
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In my twenties, I was a bit of a worrier; it bothered me what people thought of me, what job I was doing.
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I don't mind wearing a corset, it informs your posture, changes the way you move, you can't slouch.
I don't mind wearing a corset, it informs your posture, changes the way you move, you can't slouch.
I love discovering tiny streets.
I love discovering tiny streets.
Shakespeare is renewed each time you see it or read it. I've seen 'Midsummer Night's Dream' so many ...
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Shakespeare is renewed each time you see it or read it. I've seen 'Midsummer Night's Dream' so many times, and each time it's a little different, or a different line leaps out at me. It's like re-reading a good book over and over, always noticing something you hadn't seen the time before - and that's rare.
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I wasn't an academic. I hated maths and science at school. I couldn't concentrate.
I wasn't an academic. I hated maths and science at school. I couldn't concentrate.
You learn an incredible amount doing theatre, not just about to behave.
You learn an incredible amount doing theatre, not just about to behave.
I'm quite surprised at how out of control I can be on stage because, actually, I find I like to be i...
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I'm quite surprised at how out of control I can be on stage because, actually, I find I like to be in control in life. It's quite freeing, really.
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Until I was 27, I'd maybe been to America once and, like, Ibiza when I was 18. That was it.
Until I was 27, I'd maybe been to America once and, like, Ibiza when I was 18. That was it.
I worked out; I moved 16 times from the age of 19, just hopping about from different flats, because ...
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I worked out; I moved 16 times from the age of 19, just hopping about from different flats, because I couldn't always afford to stay.
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The kitchen is the most important place in any house. Visit your family, and that's where you'll end...
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The kitchen is the most important place in any house. Visit your family, and that's where you'll end up. Go to a party, that's where everyone congregates.
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I want a house with a garden, but slap bang in the center of London. Next door to a sushi bar.
I want a house with a garden, but slap bang in the center of London. Next door to a sushi bar.
I think so often you can come out of drama school and get thrown in the deep end.
I think so often you can come out of drama school and get thrown in the deep end.
I'm not from aristocracy, or anything like that.
I'm not from aristocracy, or anything like that.
In the early '20s, with the war over, there was a period of celebration, and you can see it in the f...
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In the early '20s, with the war over, there was a period of celebration, and you can see it in the fashion.
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I don't get recognized all the time, but it tends to happen more in America, and people are so lovel...
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I don't get recognized all the time, but it tends to happen more in America, and people are so lovely when they do.
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I love singing live, actually. And I'm dying to sing in a role, whether it's in a musical or a biogr...
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I love singing live, actually. And I'm dying to sing in a role, whether it's in a musical or a biographical film about a singer. It's always been one of my aspirations.
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Cooking can cure almost anything.
Cooking can cure almost anything.
I had dance training from a very young age, 3 or 4... It taught me how to present myself, about prep...
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I had dance training from a very young age, 3 or 4... It taught me how to present myself, about preparation and working in an ensemble, and it's something that carries with me to this day.
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The journey matters as much as the destination. By engaging in the moment on set, I've stopped rushi...
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The journey matters as much as the destination. By engaging in the moment on set, I've stopped rushing and now find pleasure in the collaborative process - the characters, the costumes - rather than worrying about the finished product.
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Downton Abbey (2010) has become this huge thing, and I really enjoy the success of it, but I sometim...
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Downton Abbey (2010) has become this huge thing, and I really enjoy the success of it, but I sometimes find myself on the outside looking in.
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I regret not learning to drive when I was younger.
I regret not learning to drive when I was younger.
I've had moments of thinking maybe I should go on Twitter. It's something that I've been shy about, ...
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I've had moments of thinking maybe I should go on Twitter. It's something that I've been shy about, and I've thought that maybe I should do it.
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I think some period drama can be quite alienating, but 'Downton' isn't. This is going to sound quite...
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I think some period drama can be quite alienating, but 'Downton' isn't. This is going to sound quite, um, pretentious, but someone said that it's like a soap written by a poet.
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I love cycling, but if I could find a way of building something above the streets for cyclists, that...
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I love cycling, but if I could find a way of building something above the streets for cyclists, that would be amazing. We need even more space.
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Shakespeare's work is like a good song: you never really forget the main lines.
Shakespeare's work is like a good song: you never really forget the main lines.
Shakespeare and his work will always be relevant. He wrote those pieces hundreds of years ago and we...
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Shakespeare and his work will always be relevant. He wrote those pieces hundreds of years ago and we haven't really changed as humans, have we? We have to deal with love, honor and adultery now - people were the same then, too - that's what's so wonderful and powerful.
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We take so many of our freedoms for granted nowadays - I can travel where I like, I can do any job I...
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We take so many of our freedoms for granted nowadays - I can travel where I like, I can do any job I want - but I think chivalry has been lost a little bit.
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I'm quite into the French way - simple elegance with just a suggestion of sexiness, nothing vulgar.
I'm quite into the French way - simple elegance with just a suggestion of sexiness, nothing vulgar.
I do believe in one true love.
I do believe in one true love.
You can find a connection with any Shakespeare role you play.
You can find a connection with any Shakespeare role you play.
If Shakespeare was around today I would ask him out to dinner. The only thing I don't like about him...
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If Shakespeare was around today I would ask him out to dinner. The only thing I don't like about him is the way he did his hair.
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The way I see it, the third series of Downton Abbey (2010) is all about change and how each characte...
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The way I see it, the third series of Downton Abbey (2010) is all about change and how each character adapts to those changes.
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I'm the youngest of three sisters, and my parents have always encouraged all of us to do whatever ma...
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I'm the youngest of three sisters, and my parents have always encouraged all of us to do whatever made us happy.
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I think the first time I realized Downton Abbey (2010) was a hit was when I was sitting in a tea sho...
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I think the first time I realized Downton Abbey (2010) was a hit was when I was sitting in a tea shop in New York and the couple next to me were talking about Downton Abbey (2010) and then they recognized me.
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I get so excited about reading a new script.
I get so excited about reading a new script.
Playing Isabella in 'Measure for Measure' pushed me to my limits. Janet Suzman was directing, and sh...
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Playing Isabella in 'Measure for Measure' pushed me to my limits. Janet Suzman was directing, and she was very hard on me. I went through phases of not liking her at the time, but I loved her for it in the end.
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I don't have to walk around in hats or find remote places to go for lunch! I don't get recognized th...
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I don't have to walk around in hats or find remote places to go for lunch! I don't get recognized that often.
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When I was a child, I went to stage school three times a week in the evenings - singing, ballet, tap...
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When I was a child, I went to stage school three times a week in the evenings - singing, ballet, tap, modern and acting, and I loved it.
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It's a bit of a history lesson, being an actor. I was in 'Burnt By The Sun' at the National, which w...
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It's a bit of a history lesson, being an actor. I was in 'Burnt By The Sun' at the National, which was set in Stalinist Russia, so I discovered all about that. You learn so much as you go along.
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I'm not accident prone, really, but I was cutting something and sort of lost control, and it went th...
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I'm not accident prone, really, but I was cutting something and sort of lost control, and it went through my big toe. There was a lot of blood and I nearly fainted, but its totally fine now.
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Laugh at yourself - a lot. My mum taught me not to take myself too seriously.
Laugh at yourself - a lot. My mum taught me not to take myself too seriously.
There's no particular role that comes to mind that I'd like to take on, but for me, it's about playi...
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There's no particular role that comes to mind that I'd like to take on, but for me, it's about playing interesting characters and not just two-dimensional ones.
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It's great to have a home and everything else that comes with it.
It's great to have a home and everything else that comes with it.
At the age of eight, I auditioned for 'The Sound of Music' and made it through to the third round, w...
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At the age of eight, I auditioned for 'The Sound of Music' and made it through to the third round, where we all stood in a row like the Von Trapp family and had to sing.
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My mum taught me always to see the funny side of things.
My mum taught me always to see the funny side of things.
I can be so blown away by story lines.
I can be so blown away by story lines.
I just want a really varied career, and just to keep going, really.
I just want a really varied career, and just to keep going, really.
I'd like to do something that involves music.
I'd like to do something that involves music.
My family keeps me sane. I try to talk to my mum every other day. After I get off the phone, I have ...
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My family keeps me sane. I try to talk to my mum every other day. After I get off the phone, I have a renewed sense of clarity, so I guess a problem shared is a problem lost. It's important to me to keep them close.
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I'm taller than most actresses, so most corsets tend to be too short in the body.
I'm taller than most actresses, so most corsets tend to be too short in the body.
Silk scarves are my thing. I tie them to my handbag or thread them through belt loops or wear them i...
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Silk scarves are my thing. I tie them to my handbag or thread them through belt loops or wear them in my hair. Never round my neck, though.
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'Expect nothing and hope for the best' is my mantra. A drama teacher called Joseph Blatchley told me...
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'Expect nothing and hope for the best' is my mantra. A drama teacher called Joseph Blatchley told me that, and it's the best advice I've had. If you keep an open mind and don't expect too much, then you won't be disappointed.
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I really enjoy singing, it's entirely different to acting because I'm just being myself.
I really enjoy singing, it's entirely different to acting because I'm just being myself.
In the first season of Downton Abbey (2010) we see the three sisters, and pretty much all they do is...
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In the first season of Downton Abbey (2010) we see the three sisters, and pretty much all they do is change clothes three times a day.
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I think my parents knew before I did that I was going to be an actress, because I was doing impressi...
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I think my parents knew before I did that I was going to be an actress, because I was doing impressions of Margaret Thatcher at the age of four.
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Being in the same scenes as Maggie Smith and Shirley MacLaine is something I will never forget.
Being in the same scenes as Maggie Smith and Shirley MacLaine is something I will never forget.
My dad worked all sorts of jobs when I was growing up and finally ended up as a surveyor; my mum del...
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My dad worked all sorts of jobs when I was growing up and finally ended up as a surveyor; my mum delivers meals to old folk around where we live. We didn't have much money when I was growing up, but I had a very happy childhood.
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I'm not on Twitter, but I am on Instagram and follow Lena Dunham and Usher Raymond.
I'm not on Twitter, but I am on Instagram and follow Lena Dunham and Usher Raymond.
Downton Abbey (2010) has become this huge thing, and I really enjoy the success of it, but I sometim...
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Downton Abbey (2010) has become this huge thing, and I really enjoy the success of it, but I sometimes find myself on the outside looking in, which is sort of a healthy way to look at it so you don't get too caught up in it.
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