“I first got into acting when I was about 12. I started doing speech and drama lessons. All my friends were doing it at the time and my dad encouraged it. He encouraged any extracurricular activity.”

I think working in the industry, I’d be pretty nervous to have a celebrity crush.

I did get a letter which was pretty alarming once. Well, it was sent to the Fifty Shades production office. And it was pretty … I’d say interesting. I don’t really want to go into that. But otherwise the response has been good, thankfully.

I did dancing and singing when I was little, and then when I was 12 years old my friends were taking speech and drama at school. They were private lessons, and I started doing that. Over the years everyone else dropped out and I just kept going. I loved it.

In Australia, everyone gets a nickname and people started calling me “Izzy” and I hated it so I just adopted Bella.

I was always into performing and dancing as a kid and acting was a safe place to have all my feelings, which is good as a child.

I’m just a psycho myself. I loved playing Leila [from Fifty Shades Darker], taking on [a character] who’s completely unhinged. I saw her as a girl who’s grief-stricken and she just doesn’t have the tools to cope. Grief and heartbreak, it makes you do some pretty crazy things.

I think there is something about L.A., fortunately: once you get one role people think, ‘Oh well, someone employed her, so maybe we can.’ I mean, that’s my idea of it, anyway. ‘She can put one foot in front of the other and say a line.’

I collect skulls; I think that a beautiful skull is a really good gift for a guy.

I think working in the industry, I’d be pretty nervous to have a celebrity crush. I’d be pretty nervous if my boyfriend did as well because inevitably you’d end up working with them and then it would feel very suspicious.

All my stuff is men’s fashion. It’s always oversized shirts, boyfriend blazers and trousers.

I don’t really cook meat. I eat a bit of seafood but I’m not really into meat and the idea of cooking it is pretty intense.

I was a huge nerd in high school. Sure, I socialized – but I was definitely a nerd.

[Fifty Shades Darker director] James Foley directed Fear. And that’s what I love about this film, because it has a real sexy thriller element about it.

Acting is different all the time. When you’re on set, different films, or just even in between, it’s never the same. I think that’s one of the things I love about it.

I kind of liked all the creeping stuff [in Fifty Shades Darker], like when they’re sleeping and there’s me just standing behind the bed. It was great.

My style icon has always been my mom. I feel like she was always sophisticated and effortless and looked really well put together without trying too hard.

Martyrdom was the price of enthusiasm for acting.

Eyes are the greatest tool in film. Mr. Capra taught me that. Sure it’s nice to say very good dialogue, if you can get it. But great movie acting – watch the eyes!

I ain’t the captain of the yacht, but I’m on the boat; I ain’t acting what I’m not, knowing that I don’t. You niggaz acting like you will, but I know you won’t. Man, I read between the lines of the eyes of your brows, Your handshake ain’t matchin your smile.

You know, acting is very fascinating. But being an actress is not, because you become so concentrated on yourself.

I’d started going to acting classes at 14, played ‘Medea’ at 15 and really wanted to be a classical actress.

A clown needn’t be the same out of the ring as he has to be when he’s in it. If you look at photographs of clowns when they’re just being ordinary men, they’ve got quite sad faces.

I honestly don’t even know how I got into acting. It happened so quickly because my mom and sister used to do commercials, and apparently when I was little I would unbuckle myself from the stroller and crash their auditions.

You never know what’s going to happen. That’s why I like acting. It’s precious to me to be able to live more than one life.