Cate Blanchett

I never feel particularly comfortable holding a gun, but when you're playing somebody who lived in the frontier southwest, guns are a part of their life. Anyone who lives on land has a gun. ”

If I had my way, if I was lucky enough, if I could be on the brink my entire life - that great sense of expectation and excitement without the disappointment - that would be the perfect state. ”

It is so interesting when you meet an actor in real life and they look completely different. ”

Who would want a face that hasn't seen or lived properly, hasn't got any wrinkles that come with age, experience and laughter? Not me, anyway. ”

Some ideas, like what you're going to do with your life, take time to form. ”

I discovered early on that some performers live their life in order to act, so all their relationships are simply an experience that they can feed back into their work. Which I find vampiric. ”

I think we should stop drinking bottled water. There's no need to be drinking it if you're living in western communities. ”

I tend to have this perverse reaction to authority and stress: I become more confident and clear when a challenge is enormous. ”

I want to be able to follow the example of those extraordinary British actresses who move effortlessly from film to TV to theatre roles. ”

I've been pretty lucky in the leading men department. ”