There's so much confidence and freedom that comes from that way of doing things. Robert Altman and Alan Rudolph make the set the place to be. It's fun. It's a kind of creative freedom that's really inspiring. Altman loved actors so much. He was a great mentor for me, really.

It's very exciting to work with people who inspire you.

I think Robert Altman could see things in me that I didn't know I possessed, which is really exciting. He also instilled a tremendous amount of confidence, because he would say things like, "These are the bare bones, but I want you to go fill it out. You find the character. You bring it to me. You write whatever you want." And if you had an idea, he wouldn't want to hear about it. He's want you to show it to him.

When I find a role I want to play, I just go after it.

I just don't plan things. I live a month at a time.

I used to hang out by the food table at parties because you don't have to talk to anybody. If you do then you can talk about the food.

I loved acting as a kid because I was kind of shy, so it brought me out of myself.