No one has ever asked an actor, 'You're playing a strong-minded man.' We assume that men are strong-minded, or have opinions. But a strong-minded woman is a different animal.

That is the simple secret. Always take your heart to work.

I had a number of great teachers and the ones that really were the strongest influences on me were women. They were really, really smart and interesting women.

If I am not confident that I can portray the character perfectly on screen, I won't even try.

The biggest lesson I learned in my career was to ask other people what they make because the men usually make more than you do. And it's good to know. You're not allowed to ask...but it's good to ask.

I need to go where people are serious about acting.

I have a very busy life, and not many people who have a career and four kids go out a lot to the movies.