Quotes By Samantha Morton

I have worked very hard on being aware of my childhood but moving forward and not letting it bring me down emotionally. That is a hard thing - especially when you have children of your own and you remember what happened to you at that age.

If I'm preparing for something and I've got a huge day the next day, I have to get into character the night before to assess the scene. I can't assess a scene unless I'm in character, if that makes sense.

On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.

You've got all these books on self help, getting to know yourself, doing the right thing, eating the so-called right foods, even down to what books you have on your shelves. People are encouraged to look to themselves first as opposed to being a part of society.

I'll never get a part in a huge action blockbuster.

Catholicism played such a huge part in my life, I would not have survived without my faith.

To be honest with you, a lot of directors can be very lazy.

The thing with me is, if I wake up one morning and I'm not happy working as an actress, I'll stop. It's not something I have to do. It's not a vocation.

I think there's a very fine line between the type of performing that some actors do, and being in a state in your mind where you actually believe what's going on. If we weren't actors, what would we do with that ability? Would we not be slightly insane? Mentally ill? I don't know.

I've been in front of a camera since I was a little girl, and that's the medium I understand.

I am proud of what I've done.

I'm not a writer. I think I can write short stories and poetry, but film writing, brilliant film writing, is a talent - you can't just do it like that.

What shocks me is that so many people leave care and become homeless, and when you're homeless you get into crime, prostitution and drugs, and it is a vicious circle. That's what we need to change.

Your spirit is your spirit, whether you're religious or whatever.

I think anybody who has been abused as a kid - and I was abused as a kid, by various people - will say it's irrational because violence is irrational.

I could be equally happy on a film set or in the middle of a field.

My mind boggles at the amount of violence inflicted upon children in today's society.

I was physically abused and I retaliated.

My family don't watch a lot of what I do. Films are a bit too arty-farty for them, certainly the ones I do!

I'm an actor. That's what I'm gifted at. It's what makes me breathe.

It's important to have masculine energy around your child.

I want to prove that you don't have to come from Oxford University or Rada - and you don't have to have parents that support you - to succeed.

My name can raise money on a small-budget film.

It's like I understand images and some people understand poetry.

I was angry but not at God. I feel that you are closer to God when you are messed up. Definitely. That's when you most need God, and God cannot control what man does.

We're all living blinkered lives, and we're not seeing what's going on and looking to change it. I'm not saying that everyone has to make a political statement, but we need to be more aware of what's happening and why.

When you've been raised in care, rap music isn't just about guns and sexism. They're talking about real things you can hang on to, problems of identity that you have sympathy with. It's not just about the music, with rap: when I was in care, it meant a whole lot more than that.

I can't act without music very well.

I wanted to make a film - and I've been wanting to do this for 16 years - about life in care, and bring it to the public's attention, because I had never seen anything, on TV or in the cinema, which said: 'This is how it feels to be a kid in care'.

I like to stretch my acting muscles.