Francesca Annis

“Thank God we're not like America. Everyone wants to look like they're 20. In Europe we admire grown-up women; I think men revere older women.”

“In Europe, we admire grown-up women; I think men revere older women.”

“From one till seven, when we moved to England, I spoke only Portuguese. But I can't speak a word of it now.”

“From 1 till 7, when we moved to England, I spoke only Portuguese.”

“When I was starting out, young actresses had the studio system to protect them. Now you have a host of sharks, from your agent to your publicist to your lawyer.”

“I have made a public statement about me and Ralph by being seen with him. I don't need to make any other. You can live the way you want.”

“In the theatre, once you've gone about eight rows back, everybody else is just listening to you. You're very small, and nobody can really see what you're doing.”

“I am pretty self-indulgent.”

“I consulted a Chinese herbalist and spent two weeks on an island off the coast of Zanzibar. I was away from any kind of contemporary technology.”