I was very fortunate to have gone to drama school in London for three years, and that was classical training in the sense that a lot of it was dominated by stage work, so I would love to go back to stage.

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I was so fortunate; in the years that I was in 'Thrones,' we were able to shoot in Iceland. I think some of my favourite memories would have to be isolated out there, surrounded by nothing but snow and ice.

I've played American characters before, so I've naturally become more at ease. Still, there are some American words that I cannot get my tongue around, but if you keep it flowing, you are never too far away from the truth.

It is so inspirational, to see that in the world of Westeros, men are answering to women, and they are a force to be reckoned with. It's empowering, and it's inspirational as well, because you're just like, 'This is great!'

When I left 'Downton Abbey,' it hadn't yet taken off and become the phenomenon that it is, to this day. That all happened after I left. But, it was fabulous to be a part of it and to be a part of the cast. We had an absolute ball!

With 'Honeymoon,' it was so intimate, and we literally shot it in something like 20, 24 days. Everything was very rapid and very fast, and so all of us submerged into the deep end and only really came up for air once we had wrapped.

I had worked in TV prior to working on 'Game of Thrones' - 'Game of Thrones' is far more cinematic than any other television show that I had done before, and so I feel that the worlds of TV and film are most definitely merging as one.

I personally have been drawn to female roles who are incredibly strong; females who are dominant and know their own mind; who are feisty in their own way without being annoying. I like it when she has a dark side, but she also has a playful side.

I have had the most wonderful childhood, and I was raised in a very loving family. And it was nothing short of an amazing privilege because I was incredibly lucky to be able to play up in trees and make it like silly dens in a bush and stuff like that.

Working on 'Honeymoon,' an independent movie, was almost like working on TV with the space, and everything was stripped down - costume and hair and makeup. There was very little to hide behind, and you absolutely had to create the character from within.

For a 'GOT' premiere, I wore a white dress by Antonio Berardi, which fitted beautifully. And I felt empowered by the Jenny Packham gown I wore for 'The Last Witch Hunter' premiere. That is the beauty of the designer - to help a woman or man feel that way.

The phenomenon that is 'Game Of Thrones' has propelled many actors associated with it into the minds of directors and producers, and it's a fabulous position to be in. It's because it's so adored and respected, of such high quality with such amazing cinematography.

'Luther' is raw and brutal like 'Game Of Thrones,' but it's coincidence. If I'm drawn to anything, it would be the writing. Choosing a project is an organic process where I'm taken in by the character and storyline, not the genre, whether fantasy or gritty and raw.

I know my beliefs. I know where I stand on issues and concerns, and I feel that there is the right platform to tackle those concerns. And if you're lucky enough to have a voice on something you have knowledge, then speak your mind, but only really for things for which you have an input.

I now LOVE archery, I find it a very therapeutic sport. I would be taken away for a couple of hours before we started filming to get back into the rhythm so that it was a fluid movement of picking up the bow and then the arrows and just being able to make it look as authentic as possible.

I believe that we're not alone. How can we be alone in an infinite universe? I'm using the word 'alien' with a little trepidation because I know that sparks so many different versions of that word, and there are so many different images that come into one person's head when someone says it.

The universe is so enormous, and we have no idea what's on the other side of the galaxy. It's a lovely thing to be able to tap into. I'm definitely not opposed to any supernatural ideas, but I've never encountered any. I believe in spirits, but I've never seen a ghost. And I believe in Heaven and Hell.

For the first time in my life I tried whale. It was very chewy and quite fatty. My friend had had whale before, so I knew it would be quite blubbery. It was delicious. I loved it. It was smoked, so it had a lovely kind of tangy taste to it. We had it a couple of nights. I was won over. It was very yummy.

I certainly relate to Ygritte in the fact that she is so strong and also ruthless as well and I feel that especially within Game of Thrones, I think that as a show, it is one of the frontrunners for showing dominant female characters and making sure that men answer to women rather than the other way around.

I certainly relate to Ygritte in the fact that she is so strong and also ruthless as well and I feel that especially within 'Game of Thrones,' I think that as a show, it is one of the frontrunners for showing dominant female characters and making sure that men answer to women rather than the other way around.

My parents live there, and I was born and raised in Scotland. I lived there for the first 11 years of my life, until my parents decided to take our family to France where we lived for a couple of years. We then moved back to Scotland, and that is where I feel most home - where I come back to myself, and I love more than I can say.

I have an older brother and an older sister - and they had the time of their lives at university. They were at Newcastle and Edinburgh. Looking up to them the whole time, I wanted to go to university and live the life they were living, having a blast, and I didn't get in. I didn't get into any of the universities I wanted to go to.

Working on camera is a different ballgame in the sense that it's far more intimate work, but the basics and the foundations of being able to create something that isn't necessarily your own instincts - is a character that you have inside your head - whether you're talking about television or film or theater, that still has to be the grounding work.

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