The late Angela Lansbury told RTÉ Entertainment on her visit to Dublin in February 2016 that her Irish roots played a big part in her success on stage and screen.
The acting legend, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 96 , was an Irish citizen - the daughter of Belfast-born actress Moyna Macgill and British politician Edgar Lansbury.
She moved to Ireland in the 1970s and lived outside the town of Ballycotton in Co Cork for many years while continuing to work around the world. She is credited with helping to develop the Irish film and television industry.
In February 2016, Lansbury was honoured with the Dublin International Film Festival's Volta Award for lifetime achievement, presented to her by the then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.
At the event in Dublin's Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Lansbury discussed the secret of her success with RTÉ Entertainment.
"I think it has a lot to do with one's emotional makeup as an individual. You know, we're all different. We react differently to things and places," she said.
"I am a very emotional person, and if you have that quality and you're half-Irish, it will take you sailing through, believe me!"
Lansbury saluted her mother for giving her such a bond with Ireland.
"I was brought up with her sense of humour, her dirty stories - I mean, everything that was so funny to me! - and her recitations," she said.
Reflecting on her life and work, she said: "What's been very important to me is to balance my life between family and career.
"If I'd had my way, I wouldn't have done half the things that I did, which took me away from my family.
"My husband (the producer Peter Shaw, who died in 2003) was the one who said, 'Do it. Go. Do it. Take the children with you. We'll manage. I will see that everything will be alright at home. Don't worry, go ahead and do it'."
"That was really the tremendous drive that was provided for me by him," she continued. "He was a huge help to me. I'm ever grateful to him for that because, otherwise, I would have stayed home, I really would. I was a big homebody."
You can watch the interview in full above.
