Imelda Staunton

“I adore Bette Davis and Vivien Leigh, but more because they were good actresses. That's what makes me interested in them, that they didn't present themselves as idols; they were just doing t...”

“I've fallen over on stage a couple of times, but I've only ever bruised my ego.”

“I think the first 10 years of my daughter's life were my mother's happiest, because she could finally have carefree time with a kid.”

“You could say I'm a character actress. Or maybe a character actress who does peculiar, interesting lead roles. Does that make sense?”

“You could say I'm a character actress. Or maybe a character actress who does peculiar, interesting lead roles.”

“I am a character actress. Well, let's say, I am a leading character actress who does interesting, odd parts.”

“Her death has had a huge effect on me. It felt like a big hole appeared on my left side - apparently your left side is your mother - which I thought could never be filled. Now I think what y...”

“Look at Judi Dench, who's brilliant in whatever bloody job she does.”

“A lot of film stars are just playing themselves in different frocks.”

“The one good thing is that I get a lot more good scripts coming through my letterbox. 'Vera Drake' raised my profile in one way, and then 'Harry Potter' in another.”

“At the time of Woodstock, I was just 13, but I used to see these exotic hippy creatures and I did look on with envy. How could you not? In an ideal world, I would have loved to have been a h...”

“Having a child makes you strong and gives you chutzpah. It relaxed my attitude to the job; my center of focus shifted, which I think is very helpful, because even if you're not a very indulg...”

“To me, it's really not about how I look - it's about who I can be. It is my job to bring the character to life and my duty to fit into the jigsaw in that story.”

“I worked in rep for six years, then I came to London and to the National Theatre. What's better than that?”

“Looking back, there is nothing wrong with that peace, love and equality that the hippies espoused. In many ways, we have regressed because they were into organic food, back to nature, make l...”

“I don't think it's that I don't like Sondheim. It's that I find it really... I don't know how to describe it. Doing it is the most extraordinary thing. Because it's like Shakespeare times 10...”