You won't see me in a better mood than 4:00 in the morning on my way to work.

As long as we can tell stories about our ability to survive, the more we will hope, not self-destruct.

That worries me an awful lot. If people misunderstand our intentions [in Black Snake Moan], especially regarding my character, then they're essentially exploiting an already exploited and abused woman. So it's a huge concern for me.

I just want to be married, or just engaged. Basically, I just want a ring. And the tax break.

I mean, I don't like anyone who likes themselves too much.

My sister discovered the Beatles when she was about 11 and I'm four years younger. So we had nothing but Beatles paraphernalia. Every night I fell asleep to a different Beatles album.

One thing I noticed after being down in Mississippi for the shoot was that words like "God" and "Jesus" are used all the time, but they're not specifically referring to Jesus. It's sort of this accepted phraseology for love, or spirituality, or whatever it is you personally believe in.