Really, I still just think of myself as a Northerner, ultimately. It's in my DNA. I'll always have those Northern qualities. We can be mischievous. We can be bold.

I'm small but quite tough. When incensed, I can swing a punch.

I do what I do; I can't control who thinks what.

I look at someone like Kathryn Bigelow, and I have so much admiration. She's playing in the boy's sandpit, and winning.

Getting older and having kids, you learn how to become less serious about it all.

I'm sad I'm not in 'The Purge 2.'

Really, I still just think of myself as a Northerner, ultimately. It's in my DNA. I'll always have those Northern qualities. We can be mischievous. We can be bold.

I'm a tomboy. I used to get into a lot of fights. Don't know why - self-expression, I guess.

If I was into politics, I would be rich.

That scene in 'The Purge' where my kids, Mary's kids, are in danger was really crazy for me, because I suddenly... I have my methods as an actor, so I went to the place of 'If somebody came near my children, with bad intent?'

A lady of a certain age must keep her top on. That's what I feel.

Nothing's ever allowed to just be entertaining. We have to talk about it.

Having the tattoo itself is not really for the end result for me. I like having them done.

I don't want to be owned by anyone.

Some 'Terminator' fans are outraged that I'm playing Sarah Connor. They think I'm not muscly enough. To be honest, I'm a little tired of the comparisons to Linda Hamilton. I know she will always be the original Sarah Connor, but when people see what I bring to the role, they will look at her with new eyes.

There's a perceived inverse relation between looks and talent. Look at Charlize Theron - she made herself ugly for 'Monster' and suddenly everyone said 'she's a genius.' It shouldn't be like that.

I find 'Chainsaw' to be a very relaxing film.

I like to keep my personal life private.

I carry about eight lip balms: Burt's Bees, Rosebud Salve, Eos.

Shooting guns is not something I would do in my spare time. I really don't understand why Americans can purchase guns so easily and why they use them for sporting purposes.

I'm 40 next year and I'm very well aware that where I am now, it becomes a bit of a wilderness for actresses.

I worked in Tesco's staff canteen because I fancied a boy on the tills. I served him his lunch in a hairnet and tan tights. Not just that, of course - I had a lovely white onesie.

I took up boxing as a fitness thing. I got obsessed, and I would go every day when I wasn't working. It's just an insane sport when you get into it.

I've said from day one that I've got no problem with nudity. I've done it throughout my career.

There is always that thought that you might get stuck with a character. But there's always the notion that every character is always evolving.

I'm dreadful at schmoozing at Hollywood parties.

With fantasy and sci-fi, it's based in a real fandom. You're presenting to experts, and their source material is really important to them. They'll come up and ask: 'so when you turned your head slightly in that scene, what were you thinking?'

There's nothing more exciting for an actor than a chance to lose, to be someone who has lost - especially if it's someone who starts off with a veneer of control. To be broken is wonderful.

I've never directed before, so I need to make sure that people know that I can. The movie that I've written, 'The Sophisticates,' is a... small ensemble comedy and I hope it's charming and funny.

Since being quite young, I've had a very strong sense of independence and survival. As a child, I was on my own two feet emotionally.

Nothing I do is by design. It's always the result of a happy accident. I didn't have a career plan. It has just become the way it is. It's all good fun.