[Adrienne Shelly] explain exactly what she was looking for. This was her movie [Waitress].She also wrote the songs that I sing in it. She wrote everything. She chose the colour of our outfits; she designed the set of the diner. She was very, very involved at every level.

I'm kind of a scaredy cat - I don't watch a ton of them. I mean, I started reaching this script at night and had to wait until the next morning to finish it so it would be light out. It really scared me. The scary movies I like are The Others and Pan's Labyrinth - they're so scary but they're about real things, and hopefully this is too.

People - not just in their teenage years - hold on to this fantasy of love when they're not ready to have a real relationship.

You don't get to be the bad mom and still succeed at your job and be tough. It's such a good job because it's so rare. It's a really rare job.

[Andy Griffith] is so great. He's just a dream. He's a beautiful man and so professional. I think he had more to say, script-wise, than anyone else, and when you're older it's not easy to memorize lines.

Cheryl [Hines] and I sat through two screenings at the Sundance Film Festival and during the second one, we said to each other: "You know, we don't have to get sad about this. Let's try to enjoy this. Let's just watch it. It's a happy movie [Waitress]."

Acting is a strange profession, and, yes, sometimes I struggle with its worth, its value in the world.