Amanda Bearse

“This is my job, portraying something other than what I am. 'Married' is a cartoon with real people.”

“I think I arrived in this world to be creative: a performer, and an entertainer, and I channeled that through doing theater at school and then into my training in New York.”

“Actors are like writers. They kind of use what's available, absorb it and make it their own.”

“I embrace the word queer as all-encompassing and how inclusive it is.”

“I don't regret speaking out for people who can't speak up. This industry especially is all about hierarchy. It's a lot about male hierarchy, and I was working in Hollywood land in the 80s and 90s as a woman, and it wasn't always easy.”

“I'm a realist, so I tend to look at life, well, not through rose-colored glasses, let's put it that way. I thought, if I can't act, then I can direct, so I made a choice to work behind the camera which allowed for anonymity.”

“I had been out in my life, and people who knew me on the set of 'Married... with Children,' knew that was who I was and that's how I lived my life.”

“In the theater you can take your time and allow for people's artistry to surface.”

“I feel no shame about being a homosexual. I'm proud of who I am and I'm proud of my family. I live my life in the light. I'm not going to run into the shadows.”

“I was mainly known as a theater person, and they were always considered a little strange. But I did have a lot of friends who were in the surfer category and then some left over in the cheerleader category and the athlete category.”

“The entertainment industry is very fickle. It's hard to understand. Everybody's instinct is to not rock the boat. When you're having some success, you want to take a deep breath and hold it. As a gay performer, you must bring a sense of security to your job.”

“I've always had a sense of myself, and a sense of direction.”

“Hollywood has always been a horrid place for women to work.”

“I just try to find the fun and the blessings in all that comes my way.”

“The more we stand up and be counted, the harder it will be to discount our community. We need to put a face on gay America.”

“I mean, I always knew that I was gay, yet this was a time when you were not encouraged to bring that out as part of your who you were. For someone who studied truth in acting, I always had to walk into my career and leave a part of my identity at the door.”

“My daughter is my greatest production. We moved to Washington State after Hollywood so that she could go to school and live as much of a normal life as you can. And I worked when I wanted to and when I was hired, which was mainly behind the camera, and did so on my own terms.”

“I hadn't been on the big screen in 40 years when I did the horror film 'Fright Night,' so during production of 'Bros,' I just kept pinching myself and thinking how lucky I was to be a part of an all-gay cast and with a film that makes such a powerful statement.”

“I grew up doing theater. I came to New York and studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse with Sanford Meisner. I was this serious young actress.”

“I had a much shorter acting career than my directing career because I've always loved the crew. I've always loved everyone involved with the process, and I think that came from the theater. It just feels very respectful and collaborative.”