Tamsin Egerton quotes:

Some people who meet me might think I starve myself, because there's such an assumption that being thin involves putting yourself through torture and punishing your body, but I'm just naturally skinny - you should watch me demolish a ploughman's lunch.

I am my own worst enemy. My friends and family will say, 'You've got everything going for you right now', and I say, 'Oh yes, but!' Which is not a good way to be.

I have no sense of direction at all. Thank the Lord for my TomTom, otherwise I'd spend my whole life lost.

Guinevere has been done quite a few times, especially as a mature young woman, who either is the damsel in distress or the warrior, strong-willed woman. Chris wanted a variety of things in this Guinevere. He predominately wanted her to be real and natural, and make mistakes and be passionate, and be the feisty young girl, but then also completely naive, innocent and ignorant, at the same time.

I'm a real animal lover. I adore animals of all shapes and sizes.

Kicks are my forte. I've got strong legs and high kicks. And I've got very good reach, obviously.

Guinevere is just head over heels and doesn't know how to handle these new emotions that she's feeling, as a young woman. Unfortunately, she can't reign it all in, all the time. And, even though she tries to do the right thing and be the good girlfriend and have her morals, she slips up a little bit.

I was very aware of the legend, from such an early age. Being a Brit, you are so aware of King Arthur, Camelot, Guinevere and Morgan, the witch. Merlin is this mad magician who's cloaked in mystery. It has that mystery about it. And, it's a lead role for a woman that's strong and has a real journey to take.

What I don't like about Guinevere is the fact that she can't control her passions and urges. She gets herself into quite a love triangle, and quite a web. Personally, I find that very difficult to relate to. But, it wouldn't be interesting, if she did everything right.

I hardly ever missed school, and I always got my work in on time. I was a good student and always got top grades.

My mum is a bit unconventional; she's outdoorsy and has more of an emotional intelligence, whereas my dad is pragmatic; he's a businessman.

I have been working since I was 11 on everything including period dramas.

Guinevere is not the Morgan type, where she's sultry and she knows she has this incredible female energy that she can use and utilize, and she's not necessarily used to having this power over men.

Always take earplugs and an eye mask. It doesn't matter where you are. Even if you're in the best hotel, if there's road works outside, then you're screwed. So I take earplugs and an eye mask with me wherever I go.

The weather in California is so much hotter than it is in England that it's absolutely changed my style. I have many more dresses and shorts than I ever thought I would coming from U.K.! It's so much easier to dress femininely in a warm climate.

I'm trying to cultivate a long-term career rather than get every job right this minute. That'd be putting too much pressure on myself. I'd go crazy if I thought like that.

Hairdressers call me dark blonde, but I think they're wrong. I feel far more naturally confident blonde. My mum's blonde, my sister's platinum blonde. I thought, 'When I grow up, that's what I'm going to look like.'

The 1950s would be my ideal decade because I'm actually very traditional; I enjoy being at home, and I'm a complete nester.

I will normally eat about seven or eight mince pies in one sitting. Sometimes, I can get to double figures. My friends, and probably most people, stop at two, so they probably dislike me a bit for it.

I love dressing up for events; to me it's almost like wearing a costume for the evening.

Guinevere and Arthur's story is so about the passion. It's about the sexual attraction between them. You can't have that story and show that sexual attraction with them kissing, and then shut the door. It just doesn't work. It's such an important part of their relationship and what happens in Camelot later on. It's who they are and how they bond.

That's really why I wanted to do it. I wanted to be a part of this generation's telling of Camelot, and also get the chance to play a fantastic, complex, interesting, emotionally passionate, young lead role.

I'm not interested in serial dating; I'd honestly rather be single.

I have to be careful not to do so many comedy airhead roles from now on. I've turned down a couple already.

And, the sets that they built are just so beautiful. It's like going to a completely foreign country and experiencing a new culture that you've never seen before, especially at Camelot. It's just so magical. Personally, it's just so much more interesting than wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and walking around somebody else's house.

I was brought up to think a lot about food and have respect for it, both as medicine and something to eat and enjoy.

I think if you have a good night's sleep, you can take on the world.

I actually love doing period pieces, purely because it takes you into a different world, mentally. The clothes you have to wear are so far from our everyday clothes that it immediately helps with the character and putting you in that mind frame.

I suppose I am one of those lucky people who eats what they like and doesn't gain too much weight.

I don't think any actors love taking their clothes off on film, unless you're an exhibitionist, which I'm certainly not.

I've always wanted to play Guinevere. I just asked Chris what he thought, and he steered me in the right directions. We just wanted to make her young and able to make mistakes, which I think is important.

I love jewellery, but it's something I go through stages with. I have my go-to pieces that I will bring out and wear for weeks at a time.

When you're acting, you're escaping and hiding behind something. It's cliched to say, but there's a safety there.

My style is schizophrenic! One minute I'll be wearing bright girly dresses, and the next I'll be swinging towards more structured masculine things.

I'm a complete junky for lotions and potions! I love SkinCeuticles Hydrating B5 Gel; it's like a serum and I put it on my face, and immediately I can feel it. I put my moisturiser on top of that, and I just know that it's going in more. I can feel it working, and I love it.

L.A. is definitely a Marmite sort of place for me. I used to hate it, but now I love it. I think it really helps if you know the places and the restaurants and the nice bars to go to and if you have friends there. I've got some friends over there now, and they're not all actors, which is quite refreshing, and now I have a great time there.

Acting is an aesthetic career, which is annoying.

At 11, I got my first job in a mini-series for America, and it was very exciting.

But, as an actress, you don't want to run into these scenes, willy-nilly. The couple that I did do were important for the character and essential to the plot, to show what was actually going on between each character. It is great to be able to have that, and to be able to say certain things and have certain passions.

I am my own worst enemy. My friends and family will say, Youve got everything going for you right now, and I say, Oh yes, but! Which is not a good way to be.

I defy any woman that doesn't feel more elegant and more groomed and ready for an evening than if you have a blow dry.

I did model for a little while part-time, but I wasn't a bloody model, and I am definitely not that horrible thing 'model-turned-actress.'

I don't know what it is about me, but I don't think of myself as sexy; I never have.

I don't think any actors love taking their clothes off on film, unless you're an exhibitionist, which I'm certainly not. Those are the scenes that you actually dread doing. But, so much more goes into this role. As an actress, it's all about reality, and I'm not a prude. I'm not someone who judges other people for taking their clothes off for roles. I'm not going to show everything, but nudity here or there doesn't faze me.

I don't think I've ever done a character like this before, so I couldn't really draw from previous roles. I've been known for doing a lot of comedies in England, so I don't think that would have worked. I completely went from scratch, with this one, and used the research and what was in the script, and spoke to Chris. It's all from in my mind ,rather than drawing from previous experiences or roles.

I hate watching myself on film because I am so judgmental.

I know that the battle scenes, as well, are quite gory and quite strong. Battle was romantic, but it was far from being easy. It's nice, in both respects, to have that color and contrast.

If you steal other people's characters, it doesn't work with the context of the scripts and what is written, so I wanted to make her my own. I was petrified, in the beginning, because it's such an iconic character, especially being a young lady myself.

I'm a big handbag lover and will always have one with me.

I'm neurotic about children. I see dangers everywhere - sharp corners, stairs.

I'm not a flying fan. I can't bear it.

Kids hate anyone who is different.

The truth is, I'm not body confident.