I am thrilled to be dame. It's one of those - the fact that you have been honored by your country is what it's all about, and it just feels good right there.
The arts bridge cultures; they're good for the economy, and they're good for fostering empathy and decency.
I love that President and Mrs. Obama are embracing the arts. I am so delighted.
In my early years, I was much too ignorant and didn't realize how desperately important it all is, how really important the lyrics are. And for me as a singer, I am a lady who takes the lyrics first.
I had a teacher who stressed for me the importance of diction in terms of... I want to be very careful about how I say this... in terms of supporting one's voice when one is singing. In other words, if you hold on to your words, your voice will pull through for you when you're singing. So be true to your vowels.
How dare one act like a diva when you have a lot of work to do and you need to find your disciplines and so on?
I didn't know other children from divorced families, and I was a bit of a lost soul for a while. Then suddenly, I was performing. And it gave me an identity.
I think every young girl at some point in her early life wonders what it's like to be a princess. They like the idea of dressing up and the fun of it.
I was working from a very early age.
I was named after my two grandmothers - Julia Elizabeth.
If the director says you can do better, particularly in a love scene, then it is rather embarrassing.
I had toured around England endlessly throughout my teens, but when I came to the U.S. to perform on Broadway, that was a huge step.
I am a liberated woman. And I do believe if a woman does equal work she should be paid equal money. But personally I am feminine and I do like male authority to lean on.
The thrill of being in front of a camera remains exactly the same.
I miss singing with an orchestra because that's the most uplifting thing that I ever knew. It is just such a fabulous feeling.
My sense of the family history is somewhat sketchy, because my mother kept a great deal to herself.
I love my garden. I love my privacy. I'm very fierce about it. I try not to let too many people into my home. That's my private place.
I think that the best way to explain that is that my mother gave me all the color and character and flare and liveliness, and my father gave me all the sanity and nature and all the things that helped me be a more rounded human being.
Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it.
I'd love to have a really flourishing vegetable garden, and I'd love to have a better area for a rose garden or a cutting garden, but I don't. You have to develop a garden in the way that it's meant to be developed.