Cathy Moriarty

“I can't say there were parts I was offered and turned down, but there were meetings for parts that I didn't go to, meetings I should have gone to, meetings I was advised against going to. I listened to that advice.”

“A lot of people think I'm snotty. So what? They never asked me out when I was serving cheeseburgers.”

“The truth is, ever since I was little, I've wanted to be an actor more than I ever wanted to be a movie star.”

“I learned one thing from De Niro: He taught me to listen. Nobody says anything strictly from the script. It's improvised. It was the best piece of advice I have ever gotten in my life. It has helped me through the past thirty years.”

“Don't be so hard on yourself. Be a little harder on yourself. Learn from your experiences. Don't dwell on things. Get on with your life.”

“I think I'm plain. I'm normal. I'm plain. I try not to stand out. I don't wear colors.”

“I like being independent; I like doing things myself. I'm an instinctual person.”

“I made mistakes. I let other people influence me and make decisions, sometimes without my knowledge.”

“Sometimes you get caught up living something that's not true. The people around you, the people you're involved with, are not the right people.”

“Don't take anything for granted. If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will. Have a little more confidence.”

“The way I grew up, when you're married, you have to stay married together.”

“Robert De Niro taught me how to listen, and how to be part of the conversation. It's not just about reading your lines and saying what's in the script; you have to understand your character, along with the other characters so that you can always respond.”