actresses-from-scotland

"I always find making the initial transition from film back to theatre slightly overwhelming because of the physical freedom being on a stage allows after having been confined to the edges of a lens for a period of time. But you learn to embrace and to own the space pretty quickly once rehearsals are underway."

"During that time, it was the kind of rise of the internet and fandoms and all that sort of stuff. Because I’m 16 and a teenager, I care what people think as it is in school, never mind what the whole world thinks. There was a lot of pressure there. I was so caught up in caring about what people thought of me."

"I need to be more vocal because it's my duty - not for myself but for everyone else out there, for any other east Asian who does want to make it in the arts. If they're not represented on our screens or stages then how are they supposed to look up to anyone, or be inspired and feel like they can do what they want to do? It's important for east Asians to know they don't have to be a lawyer or a doctor and they should just do whatever they want to do."

"The challenge is being able to rid these stereotypes, so I’m not playing the submissive female who’s a victim, but somebody who is determined and fearless. [So] they can see a Chinese girl on the screen who has her own mind and is able to make decisions for herself and she’s independent."

"You say diversity, but it is not ‘diversity’ – it is [about] a more truthful representation on our screens, so people see a Chinese person speaking English and won’t come to the assumption that people of colour don’t speak English."

"I used to be really, really shy, which is never a good thing because you never speak up for yourself. Now I don't stop talking! But in terms of being recognised, it doesn't really happen that often. I get the odd person coming up and saying they love the films."

"It's kind of strange seeing pictures of yourself in papers kissing Harry Potter. You can't really avoid it, though. My friends are always asking me about it. Before I did the scene everyone kept coming up to me and asking if I was looking forward to it. It got me really, really nervous and I was having sleepless nights over it. But when I actually did the scene it went very well and Dan was great. He said he was nervous as well. But the director [ David Yates ] was really cool about it too."

"I was surrounded by actors who had trained and it made me realize how much I didn’t know about simple things like stagecraft, voice work, warming up before a show. It was inspiring watching fellow actors having a process for what they do before a show. It just re-ignited a passion – or maybe just initiated it because I had never been on stage before. So that’s when I decided to go to drama school."

"What children, in fact all of us at any age, find frightening is unreliability and emotional coldness. The idea that you can't affect someone, that you can't see where they're coming from and can change tact at any moment."

"This is what happens: People quote back at you things that you said a very long time ago in some joking conversation with somebody, and they wrote it down and somebody else reads it back to you 10 years later."

"A practical observation that I’ve made over the years with ancient beloved people in my life—real spiritual youth is gained latterly."

"There's this myth in drama, which I think comes from theatre, and I think it comes from writers, who are too articulate for their own good, that everyone is sincere and able to communicate their ideas exactly at the moment that they are having their ideas. And it's not the way it is. And you can explore that in cinema. I tend to make friends with film-makers who are interested in inarticulacy."

"We knew Karen was perfect for the role the moment we saw her. She brought an energy and excitement to the part that was just fantastic."

"I got the recall, the second audition. That was when I started sweating. This huge thing. And it was so secretive I couldn't even tell BBC reception where I was going, had to pretend it was for something called Panic Moon, which is an anagram of companion."

"To be honest, I wasn't really a huge follower of Doctor Who before I got this part. I mean I knew it was huge, but … I was nothing like my mum, who's a proper diehard Whovian. She's got a Tardis money-bag, and Dalek bubble-bath. But having read the first episode I was utterly smitten, and with the character. Amy's a sassy lady, funny and passionate, and her relationship with the doctor has a really interesting dynamic."

"I am legitimately Scottish. I can officially say — yes. Yeah, I am from Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland."

"He's just really unlikely as a hero — which makes him so brilliant, I think, because he's like this mad professor."

"I was a little worried that I was going to look like an overgrown fetus … Maybe that’s true. But it’s liberating. It’s very liberating. Everyone here should shave their heads."

"We saw some amazing actresses for this part. But when Karen came through the door, the game was up — she was funny, clever, gorgeous and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too."

"Susan Boyle is the ugly duckling who didn't need to turn into a swan; she has fulfilled the dreams of millions who, downtrodden by the cruelty of a culture that judges them on their appearance, have settled for life without looking in the mirror. This is a huge constituency, and it is weary of being disparaged. Women need an avenging force like Susan Boyle. No matter how brave, strong or resourceful they are, they get punished for not being glamorous; for being ordinary; careworn. At best they are treated as if they are invisible, at worst they are regarded as freaks. Which is what the TV audience did with Ms Boyle until she started to sing."

"I'm trying to be a professional singer. … I've never been given the chance before. But here's hoping it'll change."

"Modern society is too quick to judge people on their appearances. There is not much you can do about it; it is the way they think; it is the way they are. But maybe this could teach them a lesson, or set an example."

"It was nerve-racking to begin with but once I started and the audience accepted it I relaxed. It has been surreal. I didn’t realise this would be the reaction I just got on with it. I can hardly remember what happened. I had my eyes closed most of the time. It really didn’t dawn on me what was happening. I did it all for my late mum. I wanted to show I could do something with my life."

"It was a very emotional night. It goes quiet when Susan sings, it always does. She always has that effect."

"I am so thrilled — because I know that everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical — and I think that's the biggest wake up call ever, and I just want to say that it was a complete privilege listening to that."

"Without a doubt that was the biggest surprise I've had in three years on the show."

"I can remember the moment she first opened her lips perfectly. We were at a big theatre in Glasgow, 3000 people were laughing their heads off, Simon and Amanda were stifling a chuckle, and then she started to sing. And I can honestly say it was one of the most extraordinary moments in my perhaps equally unlikely career as a talent show judge. Because Susan Boyle is not just a good singer, she’s a fantastic singer. Someone whose stunning range, tone and delivery is worthy of comparison to anyone — Elaine Paige included. As I watched her performance back again last night, I texted Simon in Hollywood: ‘My god, Susan was even better than I remembered — she’s unbelievable.’ He agreed, and I could almost feel his beady little eyes going ‘KERCHING!’ down the line from his new Beverly Hills mansion."

"It's important to be open to new experiences. I recently went to Disneyland for the first time in 20 years. There were three of us 60-year-olds on a rollercoaster, screaming our heads off. It was white knuckles all the way and I loved it!"

"To me, feeling good about yourself as you get older is all about your attitude - if you think you're old, you'll feel old."

"“It's good for me to pull away from something that is just done for effect, which was basically Sue White in 'Green Wing.' In that, it was very much: if in trouble, gurn, or fall down. There was no character background to Sue. You didn't know who she was. She didn't have any toehold in any kind of reality.”"

"“I have no interest in being a celebrity. I wouldn't go to anything that I wasn't involved in just for the sake of wearing a nice frock and having my picture taken. That part of the business doesn't make me feel very comfortable.”"

"“I feel so Scottish when I go abroad, and I'm so proud of it, but for me, it's not a political statement - I just happen to be Scottish.”"

"“When you get older, everybody sort of changes and moves away. I think that stands the test of time, when you have a friendship from youth that's still in your life today.”"

"“A good antidote to nostalgia is to go home, and then you remember why you left.”"

"“I've always been a gurner. I tried to reel it in. You know there was a period when I thought I was going to be a really serious actress, but the gurning... I can't get in control of it. It just runs away with me.”"

"“I have no real ambition or strategy. If this was all to finish, it's totally fine. There's a lot more to do out there than put on silly frocks and shout for a living.”"

"There are times when you come across somebody that’s really impressive, someone that’s got a proper living and really does make a difference to people’s lives. Then I do feel a bit of a wanker, admitting I’m an actress. That’s hard to say to someone who may be making a difference. But I don’t know how I could change things."

"I was trying to explain that this is actually a proper job but just feeling terribly ridiculous as real doctors and real patients were wheeled past," Gomez says, "There are moments when you think: what am I doing with my life?"

"I thought, wow, those people are showing off like me, that’s what I do at home. I can do that and get paid. That was my first realisation that maybe I wasn’t going to be a secretary or a postwoman or a lollipop woman. I did have a moment of thinking I liked the lollipop woman idea. But can you imagine? I would be like, ‘F**king move your car!’ I don’t think that would work."

"“I always say: 'If I'm lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work again, that's it, I'm being wheeled on, sitting on a sofa, and someone's going to feed me grapes, and I'm not getting up.'”"