What first drew you to acting?
It happened by chance. I was brought up as a dancer, and was studying Russian ballet at a school, Corona, when an agency asked me to audition for Cleopatra [the 1963 film]. I went along two hours early to tell them I couldn't go since I had to go and buy ballet shoes. The director, Joseph L Mankiewicz, was just going out the door. We had an informal chat, and the next thing I knew I had an acting career.
What was your big breakthrough?
Doing a musical with Jane Birkin in a West End show called Passion Flower Hotel. It put me on the map – not least because Barbra Streisand's recording of the lead song, How Much of the Dream Comes True, had gone to No 1. The pressure was immense.
How has acting changed?
The cult of celebrity is greater – and seems to be so important now in terms of securing finance. I get the feeling it's not about which actor is right for a particular part, but who's the most commercially successful.
Have you often felt judged on your looks as much as your talent?
It depends on the part. It is a nightmare playing a famous beauty: when I played Lillie Langtry [in the films Edward the Seventh and Lillie], I felt a real sense of pressure. But she turned out to be a really smart woman.
What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Someone told me to look at a director's past work in order to decide whether to take a part. It's particularly helpful when you've been offered a role with nude scenes. I only took my clothes off in one film – Macbeth, directed by Roman Polanski. I looked at his past work and felt OK. He's never been into exploiting nudity. He's interested in the dark side of the female psyche.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Performing in Company in 2011. I hadn't sung for 40 years: doing Passion Flower Hotel was so traumatic, I didn't even sing in the bathroom or the car any more. At first I thought I couldn't do it – but I did, and it was fantastic.
What work of art would you most like to own?
I couldn't fit a Rothko in my house – so a Piero della Francesca. I would be happy to live with his Madonna della Misericordia in front of me indefinitely.
What's the biggest myth about acting?
That it's easy. It's not – it's a hell of a lot of work.
In short
Born: London, 1945
Career: Film and TV includes Dune, Reckless and Cranford; on stage, has worked extensively with the RSC and the National. Performs in The Machine, at Campfield Market Hall, Manchester, 10-21 July, as part of the Manchester International Festival.
High point: "Getting the part in Dune was pretty amazing: I couldn't believe [David Lynch and his team] wanted to meet me."
Low point: "None. I just try to deal with things as they come."
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