Quotes

I admire Jodie Foster. Her head is screwed on really well. It's not loose at all.

For me, romance isn't an over-the-top act. It's someone offering to help and to support me. Or if that person thinks I'm making the wrong decision, he'll tell me. I want him to be honest, because being that honest takes a lot of guts.

If I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, I look in the mirror and see the most vile creature. But if I'm feeling comfortable about myself, then I'm more accepting. I'm not like, "Oh my God! look at that gorgeous person." It's just like, "Yeah, okay. That's doable."

[on her nude scene in American Beauty (1999)] It was very, very difficult for me to come to terms with it in a personal way. Creatively, I was solid. I understood the importance and significance of that scene and I had known in advance that it was going to happen. As you can imagine, I had spoken with the director, Sam Mendes, and we both agreed it was not a gratuitous scene, rather a very realistic moment in Jane and Ricky's relationship.

I tried to walk a fine line between being alluring and somewhat glamorous but maintain a strong identity and pursue things that were a little more thoughtful, and I guess nobody really wanted women to do that at that time.

I pissed a lot of people off over a long period of time and they found a way to upset me, hoping that upset would bring a change in my behavior. Like a distancing ... But I'm done, I'm done. People wanted me to be not fine. A lot of it was bullshit.

(On being fired from Election (1999)) I read the script one way and it became clear that he (Alexander Payne) had seen something else, so that was it. I just thought, this is ridiculous: why is it written this way?

I just felt like I was making people angry, because I wouldn't wear the frilly bows. I just didn't take advice and I think people got pissed off at me for not taking advice.

You can't help but feel, 'great, now we have this stain on the film,' but no - it shouldn't be on the film. Who's to blame? It's Kevin. It doesn't have anything to do with American Beauty.

I think it's up to someone like me who was a part of American Beauty to try to remind everyone that it was an entire community who made this film. We all love this film. And it doesn't have anything to do with Kevin at the end of the day.