Annette Bening Quotes
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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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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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Even with a stable character, you want something surprising to happen, hopefully because that's what the camera loves the most. That's what is great about film.
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Most people are looking for something to give their life meaning.
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I think in the past, around the time that method acting became so prevalent, it used to be that American actors were thought to be the kind that would work more from the inside out, and that the English actors worked more from the outside in.
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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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Acting is not about being famous, it's about exploring the human soul.
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I still remember the five points of salesmanship: attention, interest, conviction, desire and close.
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I think people have a right to their point of view.
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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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Anyone who is drawn in broad strokes either negatively or positively is generally not very interesting to play.
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I have huge chunks of time when I'm not working.
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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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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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There are so many different kinds of relationships, so it's sort of difficult to define what is considered normal.
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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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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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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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It's hard to make a living in this business. Unions aren't as strong as they used to be. For a journeyman actor - someone who doesn't have a famous name but has consistent work in theater or film or TV - it has become harder to get through, harder to raise a family.
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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 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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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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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.