St. Elmo's Fire' is one of my favorite films. I like the storytelling of those teenage American films. You don't get that now. Teenage American movies are all about sick jokes, puking a lot, arse jokes.

I've never worked as hard as when I was at drama school. It's the most professional environment I've ever been in.

Basically, every character I've ever played, I've based entirely on internal conflict. And I love doing that, because I think it's very human.

If my career isn't going that well, I'd rather it flounder than desperately trying to show up on red carpets: 'I'm for hire! Remember me!'

This idea of the world expecting you to remain an ingenue forever - it's a very short shelf life if you're going to commit to that as your career, and I knew that early.

My first camera job was filming workplace safety videos, which involved months of watching and videotaping people doing their jobs. I was hooked - from there, I wanted to know where they lived and the rest of their habits and desires.

At the end of my career I always wanted to look back and know that I had given it my absolute best.

I'm a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan. And if I could have a career like his... he's amazing. And not only his career, his public persona and how he carries himself.