Gayle Rankin

There is magic in Scotland. It's country with a lot of pride and bravery. I feel lucky to have been born into that. ”

Calamity Jane' inspired me to be a performer. I still want to be her. ”

I always get compared to looking like a silent movie star - though I don't know if that's a compliment, honestly. ”

When I've known something is right, the actual doing of it is not scary. It's like being onstage or performing. After it and before it, there might be a lot of fear, but the act of it is never scary for me. ”

I fell in love with it after going there on holiday when I was 16: we went on one of those red bus tours, and it goes past Juilliard, and I was like, 'I want to go there'. ”

If you put me in a box, I'm a character actor. The thing that keeps popping up for me - it sounds really cliche - but I want to play something really physically challenging, something extremely demanding and strong. ”

I spent the first 16 years of my life in Scotland. My whole family is there. It's in my blood and informs my sense of humour, my point of view, the people I choose to spend time with, everything. ”

I went to school at Juilliard, and most of our training there is the classics, and as much as I thrive in contemporary, weird, experimental work, I really am excited about finding a pioneer woman or something from a different era that I could really sink my teeth into. ”

I've always wanted to perform and act my whole life and to understand people more, so that's the only reason I've got to work with the people I've worked with. ”

I had a ridiculously idyllic childhood. I think back and am like, 'Wow. I was so naive, in the best way.' ”