Sophia Myles

Sophia: I feel very much that I'm a marathon runner in this profession. I've never been a sprinter. There have always been people who've darted ahead of me the minute they've left the starting line.

Sophia: (on choices) I've always said that I'd rather work for nice people for no money than get paid millions to work with idiots. People think and say that I'm really interesting because I've done studio pictures and then art house films, but I've never made any conscious choices. I always base my choices on the material that's in front of me, as well as who's in it, who's directing it and is the writing any good? Those are the three main things. I don't care how much money is in it, who's producing it, who's whatever. So whether it's TV, film or independent studios, that's the criteria. It's also instinctive because when I read a script and the character they're asking me to look at, if I can hear the voice in my head, that's when I know. Sometimes you read stuff that's obviously good but you can't see yourself doing it.

Sophia (on turning down university for acting): I have no regrets, because I completely fell in love with this industry as soon as I walked on to my first job. And I was thinking, well, I can either go and sit in a classroom and study Jane Austen or Harold Pinter plays, or I can make Mansfield Park and work with Harold Pinter, and be paid to do it, and be in the cinema. So no regrets.