I was happy, I wasn't beaten, and I lacked nothing. But it wasn't what people expect - it was very much sort of pinching and scraping. I don't know how my mother did it.

It doesn't make you feel very good being mean and fierce; it is much nicer playing people who are kind and sweet.

French culture takes ageing very seriously. There's much less ageism than in Anglo-Saxon countries.

I think people do work too much. I've never been able to understand the whole 'make hay while the sun shines' thing. Either I want to work or I don't want to work.

I know George Burns was a very happy man.

People will now go to films with subtitles, you know. They're not afraid of them. It's one of the upsides of text-messaging and e-mail. Maybe the only good thing to come of it.