- The minute anyone says, "Oh my God! You're so amazing!" I just have to go, "Shut up! Please!". I am normal. I have just one rule--don't believe the hype!
- [on the set ofPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)] When [directorMike Newell] first met me for the film he said, "Oh dear. Can't you do posh?" I thought, "I can't believe he's asked me that!". So I said--firmly, through gritted teeth-- "Of course I can, I went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Fucking Art!".
- As soon as I say, "I can't go out in that dress, I've already worn it before!" my dad will say, "Listen to yourself! Stop being stupid!".
- [on makingThe Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009)] I wanted something that was getting down and dirty, and really not about how you look. I wanted to be, like, fucking hair and make-up everywhere, just not giving a fuck! And yes, I get tied up, beaten, and there's nudity. All the things that made people go, "You should not do this!". But I put my foot down.
- When you put yourself in these huge popcorn movies you get out there, in the public arena, more than anyone else. But that also means that you're out there to be criticised more than anyone else. WithKeira Knightley,she's brave to do her play. Because, for some reason, if you're successful in Britain, people tend not to like you. But if you're a successful woman, and beautiful, in Britain, you're even more disliked.
- On one of the [2009] movies, I'd just done this big comedy scene, and all they said was, "You need to work on your arms!". Hey, when you've had 12 fingers, everything else looks OK from here. And I said, "But what about the acting?". And they said, "Don't worry about the acting, worry about your arms!". I just wanted to say, "Screw you all! I'd rather do a play!".
- I'd really like the type of careerRachel Weiszhas. I have a lot of respect for her: brilliant, intelligent, a witty sort of woman... You know, she'll do a rom-com--not that I ever want to do a rom-com--but then she'll go off and doThe Constant Gardener (2005),have a family, and live a quite normal life, it seems. I respect that.
- [on pressure from studio executives onPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)] They sent me to a personal trainer, wanted to get my teeth done, hair extensions, make me look like somebody else. And that's fine I had the tan, I had the hair, I went to the gym. I became the thing they wanted me to be for the part. But I don't agree with what they think is beautiful because it's not me. Unless you're really famous and successful then they're going to bully you into going to the gym. It's a side of the industry that I find uncomfortable.
- In comparison to many actresses I think I'm really average--when I got the Bond filmQuantum of Solace (2008)there was this big hoo-ha about me not being hot enough, I have to say I agree--I don't think I'm in that realm.
- Sometimes it's hard to make action and adventure movies real, because obviously you have limitations with the writing. InClash of the Titans (2010),I have this line: "I imagine you are sympathetic to this plight." I walked around [on set] going: "Are YOU sympathetic to the plight...?" [laughs] You have to work yourself up to it, a bit like [William Shakespere (I)]--you really have to BELIEVE your character says that. InThe Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009)I'm shouting, "Fuck off, you c*nt!" a lot. It was nice. I can imagine myself saying that more!
- [on her skincare routine] I really have to make myself take off my make-up. I really hate doing that, and brushing my teeth! At the end of the day, when you decide you're ready to go to bed, it's yet another thing to do...
- Actors are so bloody annoying! We are the most erratic, self-centered people and I am amazed how two actors can live together. It is hard enough when there is just one!
- [2008] [What are your favourite late-night hangouts?] The Bethnal Green Working Men's Club has burlesque and circus nights every month that have a homemade feel I love. And the Pigalle Club in Piccadilly is a great, glam night out.
- [2008] [What are your home comforts?] Breakfast in a random cafe on a Sunday.
- [2008] [What are your extravagances?] Shoes and food. I feel guilty about the shoe bit but not for indulging in good food.
- [2008] [Where is the most romantic spot in London?] Hampstead Heath (you can tell I love that place). Just lying on the grass looking up at the sky. There's something so quintessentially London about it.
- [2008] [Which London shops do you rely on?] I love Vivienne Westwood. Selfridges, because it has everything. Foyles on Charing Cross Road is the best bookshop for plays. Budgens in Crouch End for great organic fruit and veg.
- [2008] [What are your current projects?] I'm working at Pinewood Studios on Disney's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time with Jake Gyllenhaal, Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
- [2008] [What is your life philosophy?] A line from a Kate Bush song: 'I just know that something good is going to happen; I don't know when, but just saying it could even make it happen.'
- [2008] [Which perfume do you wear?] At the moment I'm wearing the Bond Girl 007 perfume by Avon or For Her by Narciso Rodriguez. They're gorgeous.
- [2008] [What are your most memorable London meals?] I was at drama school next to the best sit-down fish and chip restaurant in London, Gig's, just off Charlotte Street. The fish is fresh and tastes gorgeous. It's a bit more pricey than a normal chippy but it's worth it. I have only happy memories of that place.
- [2008] [What is your favourite item in your wardrobe?] A black tassel dress I bought for £5 when I was a student. I bought it in Bang Bang on Goodge Street. I always have fun in it because it makes me want to shimmy.
- [2008] [What is your earliest London memory?] Visiting my aunt in Stockwell. I remember going on picnics to Greenwich Park and the random music festivals there in the summer. I knew even at that very young age that I wanted to live in London.
- [2008] [Which is your favourite London shopping street?] Conduit Street, because it has Vivienne Westwood and Ashley's Boutique.
- [2008] [What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?] I would make the buses cheaper: 50p for a ticket feels reasonable to me.
- [2008] [Which books are you reading?] I have just finished For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway and I'm about to start The Traveller by John Twelve Hawks. A friend said it was one of the best books he's read and that I should play the lead if it's made into a film, which was lovely.
- [2008] [What is your favourite London view?] The view from Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath. Or sitting outside the Globe theatre on the South Bank and looking at St Paul's cathedral at night.
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