Diane Cilento

I don't think in my family anyone looked after anyone. It didn't matter how old they were. ”

If you've got a lot of children, I think you let the other children bring them up more and you just sort of step in and do stuff like every now and again. ”

Once, the parental bed collapsed because all the children sat on it at once. ”

I didn't know what to do with myself. I wasn't excited by the teaching of the school. If they'd been intent on really teaching you things, I would have been a little more attentive. ”

I never used to sleep much. I think we all go through a bit of a time like that where we rage about. If we don't, I don't think you've ever really lived. ”

I was often very, incredibly naughty, and if I didn't come home at tea time I used to be sent to bed without any dinner. But people used to bring me things: I was better fed in bed. ”

My mother felt it was time that I had some parental control, so I went off to America and went to New York. ”

The most surprising thing for my mother and father was when I was actually earning more money than them by the time I was about 18. They thought I was going to be the ne'er do well, who they'd have to keep worrying about. ”

If you were in the film industry at that time, you were always picked up by directors who were much older. You were whisked about and shown things. I did work very hard though. ”