I hear actresses talking about this all the time - this idea that you sit in meetings and the studio says, "Well, you can't do that because the audience won't like that. They won't root for you. It's not sympathetic." I think that we've been served this one dish for so long that we believe that it's all that audiences want, but when we test them or throw something out there that has some truth to it, they seem to always respond.

You can assess a culture to a degree by the way they receive movies and how they receive a given celebrity.

People say, 'Just say who you're dating. Then people will stop being so ravenous about it.' It's like, 'No they won't! They'll ask for specifics.'

I got a call from Tom Hanks, who directed That Thing You Do!, when he was done cutting that film. I was like, "Oh, my god. Tom Hanks is calling me. This is amazing!" And then, of course, he was calling me to tell me that I was barely in the movie. But I'll never forget it - and this is why he's Tom Hanks, because he's got such a way with words.

It's hard to generalize about that subject because the women I've worked with have all been so different. But if there's one consistency, it might be that you do have to handle yourself differently on a set. Women can be more emotional - at least they sometimes show it more.

I think the way I approach things has something to do with growing up and seeing my parents go to work every day.

I really don't think about my career, in terms of planning it out and what any role does for me.