I am a greedy actor in the sense that I like the big bites. Put a big fat steak in front of me, and I will eat it.

When you look at me you don't immediately imagine a very very glamorous icon, so it's only in the theater that I get to do these experiments. I've been an actor about 51 years now. I've played everything from an 8-year-old black boy to a 72-year-old French matriarch, and they hardly hire you to do that on TV.

Everyone's life is a train wreck. Your life happens to be a high-class train wreck.

Sweat makes good friendship cement.

I'm interested in playing old ladies because I am becoming one. And I want to become a very good one!

You know, my hair is very upsetting to people, but it's upsetting on purpose. It is important to look old so that the young will not be afraid of dying. People don't like old women. We don't honor age in our society, and we certainly don't honor it in Hollywood.

I don't have a waist: I'm a breadbox on top of legs.