There's nothing new about women playing pivotal parts or title roles in films. Women in strong characters have always been accepted. It has been this way for years.

Making films take a lot of intelligence and is tough, though achieving Economics honours is tough, too.

Good films and good performances will help you go further in your career. You can't get too far by just choosing leading lady roles.

It's my life's aim to make people understand the job of an actor, what they go through, and why they are such a protected species. People see the glamour part of it. But there's so much stress that often you don't even pay attention to the luxuries.

I grew up in southern Africa but was born in England, so my family was afflicted with the stiff upper lip of the British. When coupled with the violence we saw as children, that can be a fatal combination. Fortunately, I have an outlet for trauma in my writing.

Lots of kids, including my son, have trouble making the leap from reading words or a few sentences in picture books to chapter books. Chapters are often long... 10 pages can seem like a lifetime to a young reader. Then reading becomes laborious and serious. That's why some of the chapters in my books are very short.

Most of the neighbours didn't like our parents, and they particularly gave Dad a very wide berth. We kids didn't have that luxury.

There are elements of comedy that can be competitive and back stab-y, but one of the underreported sides is that we love each other and help each other, kind of like a messed up extended family.