Annette Bening

“There are so many different kinds of relationships, so it's sort of difficult to define what is considered normal.”

“I read 'Game Change.' If you want to relive the campaign, that book is unbelievable. It's great. It's the book of that campaign. It brought all the memories back of everything with Clinton and Obama, and Sarah Palin and McCain, and choosing her, and John Edwards. It was an interesting book.”

“I never thought my private life would be newsworthy.”

“When I started, I was a theater actress, and there were roles that I couldn't imagine not playing, like Rosalind in 'As You Like It.' I used to think I would die if I could play that. But then I started doing movies, and I had children, and I moved to Los Angeles. And now I kind of can't remember what those roles would be.”

“I think for all of us, as we age, there are always a few moments when you are shocked.”

“I act, but I am a mother first and wife second.”

“Our children see us a certain way, and we want to be seen by them in a certain way. I certainly want to be a strong, stable, loving, consistent presence in my children's lives. But we are human beings, too.”

“I love being busy, and I love having a lot going on; it's exciting.”

“The time I spend with my kids informs every fiber of who I am.”

“Having a life outside of movies is like pure oxygen. It makes the work more precious and informed.”

“When I look at women, older than I am, in their 50s, 60, 70s, 80s, and I see women that I admire, I think, 'Oh, I get it; that's how I'm going to be.' I'm not scared. I want to be that.”

“I've made some movies that I really loved that nobody saw.”

“I think we as celebrities have a lot more control.”

“I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I am an avid mother, let me put it that way.”

“It's easier to see in someone else, another actor, how they kind of disappear and then this other persona appears. A great actor is a thing of mystery.”

“I knew I wanted children in my life. The acting was always in relation to it. Life at home is chaos. They're wonderful. They're such interesting human beings. I just love it. I'm lucky.”

“I find the reality of our emotional lives interesting.”

“I feel very lucky I don't have to be a critic.”

“I like things that I feel comfortable in.”

“Anybody who has children and children who are well feels a sense of responsibility towards parents and kids and families that are struggling and that aren't well.”