I've played a lot of elegance and refinement, so to do something really down and dirty is a great attraction.

So many little girls dream about their wedding day. But with actresses, sometimes it's the inverse, because we get to be the centre of attention, looked up and down, dressed up for premieres all the time. The pull isn't quite as great.

Famously, Anne Boleyn was not a beauty: she was more about quirkiness and an innate sensuality, and there are a lot of references to her eyes. Which sends out a great message for women, because life is not about the aesthetic all the time.

I'm a serial monogamist and would never dream of being as predatory as some of the women I've played. I can actually be a bit shy.

It really bugs me the way people criticise how actors look. We're not models. Models exist.

Isn't it lovely to know that even the great Sherlock Holmes, the quirky and genius Sherlock Holmes, is vulnerable to love as we all are?