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I'd see child actors and I'd get so jealous, because they're just completely wide open.

Not a lot of people make that transition from child actor to bigger, better roles.

To a certain extent I suppose all actors are big kids.

For a child actor, it's a matter of listening, reacting, and being able to put yourself in a new place without being scared.

My experience with casting children is that... the whole movie is going to rest on their shoulders, so you have to set aside time and wait for the perfect people to appear.

A lot of parents tell their children that if they want to be an actor, that's fine, but they should do something else first, so they've got something to fall back on. It doesn't work like that, as far as I'm concerned.

Actors are frightened little children.

I'm sure it's not great fun for them, or for any parent, when their child says they want to be an actor, 'cos it's quite an uncertain business and it can be terribly hard for most actors.

I've been really lucky when it comes to casting kids, and I don't particularly like child actors. Too often, they just show up, and they've had whatever real innocence that's in a child just beaten out of them. They start to perform for you, and you can just see it coming. It's no good.

I honed my passion for acting in theatre and education, and I think it's important not to belittle the child audience.