Portrait of the artist: Hermione Norris, actor

What got you started?

I'm one of those people who wanted to act from the age of four. I used to watch glamorous musicals from the 1940s and think, "I could do that." Then, when I was 11, I got a grant from Derbyshire county council to go to ballet school, and that took me into the right field.

What was your big breakthrough?

Getting my Equity card. When I left Lamda in 1989, you still had to do rep [theatre] to get one, but you couldn't get work without the card: a real catch-22. So I wrote to every rep theatre in the country, and got offered Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Mercury theatre in Colchester. It's an amazing feeling to actually be allowed to do what you want to do.

What have you sacrificed for your art?

If you're not careful, as an actor, you can sacrifice everything that doesn't allow you to be available when the phone rings. I've been lucky – I have a husband and children; I've travelled; I've even got a dog.

Can British TV drama rival hit American shows such as The Wire and Mad Men?

No. American TV drama is in a completely different league: they have teams of writers, a lot of money, and they take massive risks. Sadly, that's not the case here.

Is there a lack of variety in the range of screen roles available to women?

There is a lack of true representations of women. I was once on the judging panel for a TV award; all the dramas we assessed that starred men were great big stories, while those that starred women were small-scale domestic dramas. But any of the big stories could have been told from a female perspective.

Have you ever had an embarrassing moment on set?

Oh my God – daily. My job is a series of humiliations, peppered with the odd moment of getting it right.

What's your favourite art gallery?

The Frick in New York. The atmosphere there is extraordinary. It used to be a private house, so the art feels completely accessible – almost like it's yours.

What one song would work as the soundtrack to your life?

Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World, because it was playing on Magic FM when I gave birth to my son.

What work of art would you like to own?

Michelangelo's David. Then I could touch him as well as look at him.

In short

Born: London, 1967.

Career: TV work includes Cold Feet and Spooks. Theatre includes Blinded by the Sun at the National, and Blithe Spirit at the Apollo, London W1 (0844 412 4658), until 18 June.

High point: "Making Falling Apart [in 2002], Brian Hill's TV drama about domestic violence."

Low point: "Starting out. Your expectations of the industry are high, so the reality comes as a shock."