I went to NYU drama school, so I was a very serious actress. I used to do monologues with a Southern accent, and I was really into drama and drama school. And then, in my last year of drama school, I did a comedy show, and the show became a big hit on campus.
In terms of drama school, what that will give you that you won't necessarily learn on a film set is the technical ability - ie, projecting your voice and stage craft.
I started studying theater in school, and then I got into drama school at, like, 19, and it was a national drama school in Montreal, and so it was just you and nine other students for three years, and it was really intense.
I started really young, like 12 or 13, and then I started doing school plays. We had a really good drama department, so the kind of drama-geek stigma wasn't really there in my high school.
I always wanted to be a feature filmmaker and tried to treat that experience as some sort of elite film school where I could learn the craft, and got paid to learn the craft.
I think when you look at the quarterback position, and this mastery of the craft we talk about, it really is an advanced degree. It's like going to med school, or law school, or getting your PH.D. It really is that type of educational effort, on the field and off the field.
All the craft skills that I have, I feel like I developed and honed in drama school. It's the most important thing for me.
I never went to drama school, but I was really lucky in that both my junior school and secondary school had brilliant drama departments.
My parents are really, really talented and really good at what they do, so I've always learned from watching them. But their style is something that you can't really learn. They never went to drama school and neither did I.
I left drama school to do 'The Book Thief' - it was a real trip going straight from school kind of right into it, but I feel like the momentum of being in school put me in a good mindset as far as going into it as a learning experience.
I didn't act professionally before going to drama school. I don't know if I had the confidence. I didn't think I'd get in when I first auditioned for drama school, and then I did.
I'm not naturally a gifted dancer, and I don't enjoy it. I didn't go to any of those classes in drama school 'cause I was like, "I'm not going to dance. I don't need to learn to dance." I regret that.
I think some period drama can be quite alienating, but 'Downton' isn't. This is going to sound quite, um, pretentious, but someone said that it's like a soap written by a poet.
Work-do plays, learn your craft, and go to school. Keep working. Nobody is going to give you jobs for going to parties or any of that nonsense. Go out, look around, do things.
A chef is a mixture maybe of artistry and craft. You have to learn the craft really to get there.
I was quite frustrated by school and found solace in going to the drama studio, doing stupid voices, and being an idiot. I then went to Guildhall School of Music and Drama and signed with a great agent in my third year.