It's one of the functions of the theater to shock and titillate and appall, apart from entertain and delight.

It's a very generous culture, American culture. I know you can't generalize 300 million people, but everyone I've met here has been so lovely to me.

It's fascinating. It's also exhilarating when you see people making the exact same choices that you've made. It kind of validates what you've decided to do. I saw a wonderful production of Jessica Lange doing Streetcar with Alec Baldwin. It was gorgeous. It's a measure of what a great classic that is, that our Cate Blanchett also did an absolute amazing Blanche in Sydney, as well as in New York.

We're becoming so much better at destigmatizing all sorts of things, including mental illness in 'Silver Linings'.

I guess just a lively imagination is the best effort an actor can have.

One of the things you learn at drama school is not to play the result, but just to play the moment.

I'm a nice middle-class girl in real life, and I'm a mom and a grandma, and I usually play sweet characters.