Phyllis Smith

Everybody wants to shine a little bit, even a wallflower.

In my heart, my first desire was to be a dancer. I always wanted to dance and I danced from the time I was 7 till I was well into my 30s.

Well, I think that in every character there are little bits and pieces of yourself.

I'd date someone younger or older; age doesn't matter to me. Or looks, really - it's all about maturity.

For years, I've been interviewed, and they write what they thought I thought or what they thought I said. Sometimes it's accurate, and often it isn't.

Under the previous regime of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, I was detained. So was my wife, Serkalem Fasil. She gave birth to our son in prison in 2005.