KELLY REILLY

Theatre is where my heart is. It's where I can do my best work. And even if I do films and TV, that's what I want to come back to.

When I was younger, I used to write to directors when I was unsure I could play a role. I'd say: 'You've made a terrible mistake.'

We live in a celebrity-obsessed society.

I'm a theater actress. I love rehearsal. I could have six weeks of rehearsal and think it's not enough. But on film, you don't get that luxury.

Obviously, education is hugely important, along with healthcare. They're the basics and you're hurting your own country if you don't pour money into them.

As an actor, you always want to keep it different, change it up, and, you know, just to keep yourself inspired and work with interesting characters.

Women do well in their thirties. They put their bags down and say, 'This is who I am - like it or lump it.' There is a more relaxed quality, which I like.

I'd love to work on a real girl piece with some fabulous actresses. I feel like I've worked with so many men.

I don't want to be doing fashion shoots and being interviewed about where I shop. Who cares?

I love actresses who are brave and don't do what's expected of them or don't play off how they look or take risks.

I'm not temperamentally into high comedy. I'm not a Noel Coward kind of girl.

I've no wish to appear in celebrity magazines.

The British theatre and establishment is so hard to penetrate, and there are so many talented people involved in it. So, to be counted among some of those actresses... It doesn't get better than that.

You know, I really enjoy longevity. I see actors in their forties and they just turn out these really fabulous roles and characters. You know who they are, but you wouldn't necessarily know their names.

Every job feels like my first.

My dad is such a good man, hard-working.

Being at the pinnacle of my career is not to turn up in some multiplex blockbuster.

My personal life, my normal life, is so important to me. To be able to go back to my personal life and leave characters behind is important; I don't keep them with me.

You put yourself on tape as an actor a lot - and you send them off, they go out into the ether, and you have no idea what's going to come back, or when.

I act because I have to, because I need to find out whether I can do it or not - that's what drives me and excites me and lights me up.

Acting has always been such escapism for me.

When it comes to my work, I'm fearless. I go with my gut.

The reason I act is because I'm trying to understand why people are as they are.

It's lovely to work with a group of actors who make you laugh and smile.

I'm not a show-off; I'm not an exhibitionist.