Sarah Lancashire

But I am Northern myself, and there is a certain rhythm of Northern speech that is very comical: that combination of the choice of language and the speech rhythm, which in itself is very funny.

Accents are interesting, because they very often inform the way a person moves.

I never get offered comedy.

I just hold out for pieces where I immediately feel an emotional connection with a part.

I love swing, jazz, blues, standards. I love the American songbook, Gershwin, Berlin. It's all that. So I'm born in the wrong era and I just don't fit into the 21st century at all.

Young people are often portrayed in a very negative and stereotypical manner.

Love is very complicated and it's never black and white, as I'm sure we all know in our lives.

I am a tea connoisseur and my idea of absolute heaven is a tea shop.

My family on my mother's side is Irish.

My father's family, I think, were mostly from Lancashire, but I don't know how far back we go. I think it's quite a few generations.

I'm Lancashire by name, and Lancashire was where I grew up - in Oldham.

Now that I'm in my late 40s, I'm trying to make up for a little bit of lost musicals time.

I only did five or six weeks in 'Guys and Dolls,' and when I was 26 or so, I was in 'Blood Brothers' for a year on the West End, playing Linda, with Kiki Dee.

I do find it quite difficult to complete a job and return to normality - it does take a bit of time to find my healthy place.

It's a joy doing 'Tango.' I'd do it till the day I die, frankly.

I think this country is terribly, horribly obsessed with age, and it really is just this country. If you're still living and breathing at 50, then count your blessings!

For me, it was much more important to continue to learn my craft as an actor and get a bit of flesh on the bones.

'Tango' is very much an ensemble piece and I was devastated when I read the script.

Being in the public eye makes you frightened to talk openly about things - which is precisely why you should. You can really make a difference and open up subjects that are taboo.

I never feel proud of anything I do really.

When I'm working in theatre I never go to the bar with the other actors; I go home and think about what I did wrong.

I don't watch anything I'm in. I'm too critical.

I am possibly the biggest 'Downton' fan you can ever meet.

Love is love. It doesn't matter about sexuality, it's just about how you feel towards somebody else and being good and honest with them.

I'm straight, but it's immaterial what your sexuality is. Isn't it really just about being a fulfilled human being?

You have to have brilliant people to work opposite, and then it does become like a real tennis match and this is our sport. With somebody like Mark Lewis Jones, who is extraordinary anyway, you just know it's going to be a good match.

It's not something I'm embarrassed about. Depression is an issue that tends to be brushed under the carpet. My hope is that if people with a public profile are prepared to talk about it, then it might prompt other people to talk about it too.

When you pretend for a living and you have to pretend in your private life as well, it's very sad. Because it's intangible, depression is an issue that people don't like to talk about. It's like a huge, guilty secret.

I'm not planning on being a health role model.

I am a stickler for damn good writing.

I got married only because I was pregnant. Simple as that. I am a very traditional girl and was horrified at the thought of having a child out of wedlock. I didn't want a child of mine to be different or have fingers pointed at.

I have never known what it feels like to wake up in the morning full of the joys of spring, and wander through the day feeling capable of coping.

Marriage is not for everyone, but spiritually it is very necessary for me because I have a desire, a need to feel owned.

The roles do get fewer as you get older. That's the same for all professions, there's fewer roles for people later in life. I don't think it should be like that because as long as you are able to do your job then people should keep working with you. It shouldn't come down to age.

I'm absolutely certain that audiences want to see older women on their TVs.

I have managed to get through that tricky turn into your 50s with two great roles. It is great to see characters for women of a certain age.

Am I attracted to people who want to give other people a voice? Yes I am, and that may be a 'common denominator with the characters that I play.

Relationships are very complex. It's very unusual to see something which is so 'complex portrayed on screen.

You don't always realize the impact you have on people's lives. You just think 'I'm an actor, I don't think I'm doing anything particularly important in life' and then you suddenly realize that actually for a fleeting moment you do make a difference to somebody's life - it has an impact.

I think going to university, getting married, having children, and then having the choice to stay at home to raise those children is a very valid one for women and they shouldn't be castigated for it. It's a great job. Not many men would do it.

Children are part of the natural pattern of life. For centuries people have been having children and going to work. You get on with it, that's what life's about.

I'm not always right for the role. And to be honest I think part of your job as an actor is knowing when you're not right for the role.

I don't search it out - I really want to be clear, I don't search out the misery! I'm not sitting at home going, 'I can't wait to do another harrowing piece of work.'

I don't feel that 40 is anything these days. Our life expectancy is so much greater that maybe 50 is the new 40.

I took 18 months away to have my son, Joseph, and it was the biggest break I'd ever had in my working life of nearly 20 years.

I'm not very good at watching myself. I look at it and I think, 'Oh, they've used the wrong take.' My job is over and it's not healthy to sit there and scrutinize your work as you're invariably unhappy!

I come from a line of women who can bake, so I think I've inherited a bit of family knowledge.

I can bake but I don't do a lot of baking, mainly because the side effect is not very good for you.

'Kiri' reflects the society we're living in now, where everything has to be transparent and people are under so much pressure. The scrutiny is extraordinary and you really get a sense of panic emerging.

We don't necessarily hear about the fantastic things social services do, because it doesn't make very good drama.