If I had my way, if I was lucky enough, if I could be on the brink my entire life - that great sense of expectation and excitement without the disappointment - that would be the perfect state.

I'm one of those strange beasts who really likes a corset.

Violence and racism are bad. Whenever they occur they are to be condemned and we should not turn a blind eye to them.

You can't be trying to make a film that pleases all people, you know, so it's not a concern of mine.

I don't have a sense of entitlement or that I deserve this. You'd be surprised at the lack of competition between nominees - I think a lot of it's imposed from the outside. Can I have my champagne now?

If you know you are going to fail, then fail gloriously.

You know you've made it when you've been moulded in miniature plastic. But you know what children do with Barbie dolls - it's a bit scary, actually.

I live my life parallel with my work, and they are both equally important. I'm always amazed how much people talk about celebrity and fame. I don't understand the attraction.

It's important to travel and move and have a continual set of experiences so you've got more to feed back into your work. For me, it's a natural thing.

I feel like I've been marinated in Australian theatre.

It was only when I realized how actors have the power to move people that I decided to pursue acting as a career.

I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a videogame for me. It was another world completely. But, to be honest, I basically did it so that I could have the ears. I thought they would really work with my bare head.Working with Martin Scorsese was an absolute minute-by-minute education without him ever being grandiose about it.

Look, it's one of the great mysteries of the world, I cannot answer that question. I think I'm vaguely blonde. To be perfectly frank, I don't know.

If I had my way, if I was lucky enough, if I could be on the brink my entire life - that great sense of expectation and excitement without the disappointment - that would be the perfect state.

Actresses can get outrageously precious about the way they look. That's not what life's about. If you starve yourself to the point where your brain cells shrivel, you will never do good work. And if you're overly conscious of your arms flapping in the wind, how can you look the other actor in the eye to respond to them?

I think that's what I love about my life. There's no maniacal master plan. It's just unfolding before me.

A lot of people are frightened by old age - by being around people who are, basically, on their way out - but I'm fascinated by it. It's an amazing thing to be around someone who has had a life well lived.

After two kids, I hit the pillow and go straight to sleep.

Ageing is something that both men and women are utterly terrified about.

All cities do face similar, significant trends in the future... most importantly global warming and climate change.

An actress once advised me, 'Make sure you do your own laundry - it will keep you honest.'

Armani makes a fantastic lip gloss called 'Beige 100.'

As an actor, I endeavor to find the reason in the unreasonable. Because no one thinks they are being unreasonable or unrealistic or demanding or behaving madly. We all see ourselves as being justified.

Australia is a remarkable country with incredible technical and physical resources and a capacity to be a world leader in renewables.

Because the picture is called 'Veronica Guerin,' you expect a biopic. But it's really about the last two years of her life.

Before I made a film, I thought it was easy.

Before having children, I think I probably approached work very differently, and you become much more economical and pragmatic about your relationship to it.

Being in Australia, I was really sun conscious. For a couple of summers there, I did the baby oil thing, and my my mom said, 'Just don't. You'll regret it.'

Being on stage a lot is quite physical.

Believe it or not, I'm pretty good at just doing nothing.

Conservatism is affecting the way women perceive who they are in the world.

Don't you find that work, if you love it, is actually really invigorating?

Every director works differently.

Every time I create a character, I don't assume they speak like I do, even if they're Australian.

Fine-tuning a play like 'Uncle Vanya,' which is already well-known to the people playing it, is not so much a verbal exercise as it is a visceral one.

For 'Blue Jasmine,' I made a decision not to wear any make up in the last shot of the film, as I felt like she had such a mask on - I thought it would be a good idea to leave her with nothing and become completely transparent.

For me, I think the bigger something is, the more difficult it is to make it nimble and fleet afoot.

Happiness is fleeting - I think that's the main lesson I have learned.

I admire the work of brilliant actresses such as Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren, who have had such varied careers. They have never stopped working, and they are as great today as they ever were.

I always dressed as a man when I was at school. I loved wearing a tie and a shirt, and I was always wearing suits. Annie Lennox was my hero. I was always playing men in high school.

I am happiest when I don't know what's coming next.

I applaud Women in Film - not only for celebrating the successes of women, but for providing a safety network to mentor women and to discuss the particular issues that arise in a very male-dominated industry.

I believe that a creative career is only as good as the risks that you take with it.

I can be a real pessimist. You know that when you win an Oscar, and you walk offstage, and your first thought is: 'Oh God, I've peaked.'

I care about climate change because of our children. I want to safeguard their future.

I cook a mean Sunday lunch. My idea of Heaven is a lunch outside on a beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon. It's the time to gather everyone together.

I discovered early on that some performers live their life in order to act, so all their relationships are simply an experience that they can feed back into their work. Which I find vampiric.

I don't consciously think of how parenthood has changed me but I'm sure it must have.

I don't feel like, 'Now I'm a great actress.'