As an actor, you hope to obtain this mind meld and sometimes I feel like I'm chasing a horse holding on to its tail and getting dragged, and other times I feel much more velcroed into the saddle. And I'm not the knower of which is better or best as a process, it's just as random as the weather in terms of what my subjective experience is.

One of my favorite parts of myself is my motherhood aspect, it just turned out to be the best thing about my life [Laughs], the most rewarding and deepening, so I have a delight in portraying mothers.

I think that directing is the ultimate martyred task of filmmaking, that it has nobility to it. It takes three years to make a film, for the most part. I think it requires the attentiveness of a mother hen.

I love my work, but there is no price you can put on what you miss when you are away from your kids.

I know I've made the right decision when I've followed my heart.

I think fun is an important part of the entertainment industry, and it should be. Anybody who's not incorporating some of that into their work needs to take a break, go away, and have an attitude adjustment.

I think a lot of the time, the studio system is so compelled to kowtow to its fear that women are not going to be found sympathetic. It just sort of euthanizes any hope of more diverse examples of the emotional realities of people. Representing my gender, I think, "Well, I have those emotions, why don't those ever get brought to the screen so I can feel recognized?"