"My mother always said to me, 'You're going to have to work harder and have to be better, and you can't take no for an answer'."

“That was the first time she was given the opportunity to use what I think is still an underrated talent.”

“For me, the walk of the character is always the first part that I must define for myself.”

“Actors always have to fight for the good parts. There are so few good roles written for women each year, and when one is written like this every actress in town covets the role.”

“It's an amazing feeling to know that life is actually growing inside your body. The first time you see the ultrasound and you see the little bones and you realise that it's part of you and it's in your care is life changing and this sort of protective instinct has taken over.”

“When I held that statuette, I felt as if I had won a triumph not just for myself, but for every other woman who'd struggled to overcome the same sort of background.”

“Being a black woman, I've often felt I've been judged by my sex and my race, and I have always known that it shouldn't hamper me.”