I don't really think it matters if you go into stage or TV as long as you do a bit of character work, really.

It's never fun to be scared [about stage fright] but I think that it is important and it's healthy to always push yourself.

You always try to play it off cool, but even if I think I have a certain laidback body language when I'm meeting someone who I greatly admire, I still have this horrible tendency to go bright red.

I think booze is a good ritual. I think knocking back a shot of whiskey does calm the nerves and helps a lot.

There's a lovely freedom of will when you approach a character that no one has really come across before, because it is your own interpretation.

The honeymoon phase always ends, for everyone.

Graduating at the age of 21 was a wonderful age to hopefully start a career.

Unfortunately I don't have my grandparents, but Mum and I are working quite well together. That's candid, that's frank. Your grandmother is never going to lie to you.

With big productions, you can sometimes get lost with the terminology and all the different departments.

I had the most fantastic time filming 'Downton.'

First and foremost, Scotland is my home, and I do consider myself Scottish, but I also feel very British, and I hope that Scotland stays within the Union. I have a real concern about independence.

Don’t set your sights low, just because someone else has a limited view of life’s possibilities. One person's comfort zone may be another person's cage.

You know, I love acting.

I have about 50 guitars around the house. I can't take more than a few steps without finding one to pick up.

I'm not actually a very keen performer. I like putting shows together. I like putting events together.

I think the sense of belonging does give you a certain amount of mental satisfaction.

Basement smells bad. Look for cat poops, change litter.

Instead of focusing on the world's problems, give your attention and energy to trust, love, abundance, education and peace. :-)

Therefore we say that a lying Spirit has been in the mouth of the writers of the books of the Bible.

In theater, the playwright is the boss, period. The decisions will go through him or her. In movies, the writer is pretty far down on the list.

Ships are a strange kind of commodity because they're very lumpy, very big individual units, but they're commodities.