Maggie Gyllenhaal hasn't always had "good experiences" at work.

She said: "Absolutely every single thing I've worked on -- some of them massive failures in all sorts of ways: financially, artistically -- every single one of them I've learned something.

"But that doesn't necessarily mean that's it's going to be good or that I'm going to be pleased or that it's going to be a good experience."

The 37-year-old actress - who has daughters Ramona, eight, and Gloria, two, with husband Peter Sarsgaard - believes she is "braver" in her work than her life because she is only pretending to do the things she does on screen.

She added: "I do think that I'm braver in my work than in my life. But the stakes are different. You're trying to get to a place where you feel like the stakes are high for the character you're playing, but the truth is it's pretend.

"You can say things or explore things and work with a different set of stakes than in life. I think I'm just looking for that opportunity."

Despite always appearing composed in public, Maggie insists that isn't always the case as she thinks showing emotion is vital to staying sane, but she knows when it is right to keep her feelings hidden.

She told Vulture: "I can be very mercurial, I can get very mad, and I can get very emotional. If I don't do that then I get panicked. The way to stay sane is to have feelings. I definitely believe in that. I also believe that an interview is not the place to lay out your most vulnerable heart, but my work is, for sure."