Ophelia Lovibond

Growing up, I was surrounded by music by the Stones, Carole King, and the Beach Boys. I didn't know who Michael Jackson was till I was about 13.

I've done a lot of comedy recently, so I would really like to explore something else. I am hankering after a really meaty, dramatic role... like Natalie Portman's part in Black Swan.'

I used to sing in jazz clubs with a friend until she went another way.

I get scripts and think, 'There's not enough here to get my teeth stuck into.' That's a result of studying English, where you luxuriate in these big, lush novels.

Everyone talks about the big three-oh with dread - but it's exciting. It feels like life is much more put together. Everyone's like, 'Wouldn't you like to be 20 again?' But no way.

I love going to cities and getting lost. I love doing that rather than following a guidebook.

All the other characters are so well-rounded, and it's just frustrating because female characters aren't. It's not that they're badly written, they're just underwritten. They have no internal monologues; they could be absolutely anyone.

Oh my God, I would love to go on stage so much. I'm undignified with how badly I want it.

I've never read a self help book... the most self-help I've read is on a beer mat.

The most romantic thing someone did was surprise me at the airport, after being away for 3 months in Los Angeles. You always see people with signs, and you're like, 'Isn't that lovely?' and then you see your own name on one - that isn't a taxi driver's! I was very impressed.

You're sent scripts, and for some, as soon as you start reading them, you feel an instant connection to the character. You know who they are, you know how to play them, and there is instant enthusiasm. Then, at the audition, you don't have nerves because of that natural affinity.

My golf swing is probably the most horrendous you've ever seen. I look like I'm trying to attack the ball.

I'm quite nosy. Somebody will be reading a book on a train, and I'll go: 'How is it? Is it any good?' and they'll be like, 'Yeah, now let me read it.'

I love the '60s - that's my comfort zone as far as dressing goes.

The first thing I look at with a project isn't who's directing, whether it's a big film; it's the character and whether I want to tell her story.

I don't believe in having safety nets - you'll end up using them!

When I started acting professionally, it really felt like an extension of just playing around - it was all very organic.

I don't have any irrational fears. Obviously, if I was walking through the outback, and I saw a snake, I wouldn't go up and stroke it, but I wouldn't run screaming from it, either.

I realized I have an appetite for stunts. I learned how to do them myself.

The '60s look wasn't something I consciously chose, but in my late teens, I found myself styling my hair in a retro way and liking clothes - the shapes and silhouettes - that were from that era. They just reflected who I was.

I don't quite have the luxury of cherry-picking - I have to see what comes my way. But I have always been picky.

If you asked me to sing a modern song, I wouldn't be able to - I can't easily slip into that groove. But if it were a song by Nico or The Velvet Underground, fine.

If I read something and respond to the role, that's what happens, and if those happen to be a few comedies in a row, or not, so be it.