Acting Quotes

I was in such a state of deprivation—physical and emotional. When I got home, I couldn’t react to the chaos of the world without being overwhelmed."

"To convince oneself is to convince others."

"Celebrity, is when they care more about you, than they care about your work. Notoriety, is when people respect you, or you're attached to something that people respect. I want notoriety."

'All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.

'In the beginning was the Word,' and you must not be tempted with a script just because you have a great part. You want a great role to play, but the whole - the whole - must be good. It'll never succeed if it's just the role you like.

I love my profession. I would never stop. Relax? I relax when I work. It's my life.

I, along with the critics, have never taken myself very seriously.

Acting is, to me now, artificial. Seeing people suffer is real. It couldn't be more real. Some people don't like to look at it in the face because it's painful. But if nobody does, then nothing gets done.

Tremble: your whole life is a rehearsal for the moment you are in now.

You can waste a lot of time making movies – and waste a lot of time in life – wishing they were playing a different song. You know, you came to the party to dance a cha-cha, but there’s a waltz band here, so you might as well learn to waltz.

I worked like a son of a bitch to learn a few tricks and I fight like a steer to avoid getting stuck with parts I can't play.

Four nominations and four kids. I am damn proud!

I had no idea they were announcing today. I swear! I was totally taken by surprise. I just dropped the kids off at carpool. I was about five minutes from the school with a car full of kids. With so many kids, I didn’t even realize it was today. I’m glad I forgot about it. It’s made it all the more — I don’t know, just sweet and poignant and unexpected, you know?

Of course I am thrilled to receive an Oscar nomination. As my 3-year-old daughter said ‘Yay!’ I couldn’t put it any better myself.

I like to act with dialogue. Not with grunts.

Look Mama, I got a Golden Globe!

I'm looking for the truth. The audience doesn't come to see you, they come to see themselves.

When I didn’t have a family, I was much more of a workaholic … I still like to work, but I also want to be home with them. As you get older, you realize you need balance. If it’s not fun, what’s the point?

People like to define you through what they’ve seen you do … There are aspects of my personality, I guess, that come through on-screen, but I don’t sit around thinking, I’ve been a bumbling suitor all my life.

Sometimes I dream of revolution, a bloody coup d’etat by the second rank [...] an army of assistants and deputies, the seconds-in-command, the runners up, the right hand men - storming the palace gates wherein the second son has already mounted the throne having committed regicide with a croquet mallet! Stand ins of the world Stand Up!