Any time you risk big you often risk losing big. You can win big but you can also lose big, but you have to be willing to take those risks.

I'm learning to accept the lack of privacy as the real downer in my profession.

In Monster's Ball I went nude, which was scary, but I took the chance and that's how I like to approach my career.

You have to get the audience invested even if you're doing something that they think is dumb, it's kind of what these movies are all about.

Growing older is not such a big deal for me, despite the fears that older actresses have in Hollywood. When I hit 40, for example, I didn't feel 40 - or whatever that is supposed to feel like.

My mother helped me identify myself the way the world would identify me. Bloodlines didn't matter as much as how I would be perceived.

I think it's always best to be who you are.