Annette Bening Quotes
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Most people are looking for something to give their life meaning.
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I'm interested in writing that explores all sides of human beings.
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I think when you're at your best as an actor, it is cathartic.
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Anyone who is drawn in broad strokes either negatively or positively is generally not very interesting to play.
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I always wonder about people's history and their lives, especially people that are a little bit more distant, who obviously have had some kind of a thing, and you know there's some reason why they're not able to connect. It's not because they don't want to. They don't have the ability.
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Sometimes you're reading something, and you don't know it will be important in your life. You're reading this script, and you start to get involved. It's not an intellectual experience.
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I have huge chunks of time when I'm not working.
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I still remember the five points of salesmanship: attention, interest, conviction, desire and close.
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If you're an actor, you have to find a way to make peace with all the media attention.
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There are so many different kinds of relationships, so it's sort of difficult to define what is considered normal.
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When I started in the theater, I'd do plays by Shakespeare or Ibsen or Chekhov, and they all created great women's roles.
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I think people have a right to their point of view.
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It's easier to see in someone else, another actor, how they kind of disappear and then this other persona appears. A great actor is a thing of mystery.
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I've played parts that were just likable people, and there's a certain pleasure in that. And that's that.
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What really motivates you to try to work things out as an actor is in large part fear, because you want to get into that narrative and bring the audience along.
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Acting is not about being famous, it's about exploring the human soul.
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A lot of directors in my experience are very receptive. They see what you do first, and then they want to find a place to put the camera, and they tweak you here and there.
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My dad was in the life insurance business, so I learned about selling when I was about 14 because I started working as a secretary.
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I love the luxury of the camera. The camera does so much for you. I like the secrets a camera can tell.
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There's so much of our psychological makeup which is impermissible for us to explore because it's inappropriate or perverse or scary. I'm interested in exploring that in myself. I try to be honest with myself about everything that I feel. I'm not saying I'm able to do that all the time, but it's something I'm interested in.
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Find the story you want to tell. If you don't want to write it, find somebody to write it.
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I remember hearing someone say that good acting is more about taking off a mask than putting one on, and in movie acting, certainly that's true. With the camera so close, you can see right down into your soul, hopefully. So being able to do that in a way is terrifying, and in another way, truly liberating. And I like that about it.
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My sister and I fought a lot when we were kids. I was the little bratty sister, and she would kind of walk away, not wanting to be associated with me.
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I think what's interesting about the whole paparazzi thing is that unless you're Brad Pitt or Madonna, you can pretty much avoid it. You know when you're going to an opening that you will be photographed, so that's fine. And you know the restaurants that have paparazzi, so you don't go to them.