I follow no doctrine. I don't belong to a church or a temple or a synagogue or an ashram.

I didn't have any confidence in my beauty when I was young. I felt like a character actress, and I still do.

I need to go where people are serious about acting.

I like who I am now. Other people may not. I'm comfortable. I feel freer now. I don't want growing older to matter to me.

I don't know what my image is. I went to France to publicize Marvin's Room, and one really smart young woman journalist said to me, "You know, when I told people I was going to interview Meryl Streep they were so excited... all ze women in my office, they love you so much. But ze men - they are afraid of you."

I think the best role models for women are people who are fruitfully and confidently themselves, who bring light into the world.

It's hard to negotiate the present landscape with a brain and a female body.