When I do things that aren`t very good, I`m worse as an actor. I don`t know what I pick up - but it`s something not very nice.

I`m drawn to stories about ordinary people who get tangled up in an extraordinary event or idea or emotion. I`m not saying I don`t love films about super-people or super-doctors, but my preference is for stories about how we get through this life, what it is to be human, because I`m always struggling with it myself.

I don`t like going for more than a year without doing theatre. I don`t mind falling flat on my face so long as I feel I`m open to the possibility of something extraordinary happening.

Without hammering you over the head with it, the movie gets you to ask questions. That`s what good movies do.

I`d hate to lose the character actress part of me, because, by God, the parts are much more interesting. As a black actress all I was offered in British film was the best friend role, whereas in TV I was offered a whole spectrum of parts. I`d love to be able to follow that through into my newly-formed film career which I didn`t expect to get at 36!

But I`m pretty secure about who I am. Anything that`s truthful I`m not ashamed of.

I`m just going where the stories are. I`ll quite happily work in a tiny theater in the middle of nowhere if it`s the right story. It always leaves a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth when I do something purely for money. I always end up being absolute shit in it. I`m not really an actor who can make rubbish writing good. Some people are very good at it. It`s a real skill.