Dianne Wiest

“The formula is the star. I couldn't work inside that formula.”

“Woody is so musical in his filmmaking. I've never worked with anyone I've trusted so completely. He won't let you hit a false note.”

“Sweet things happen. They still do.”

“The studios are very much business. Maybe it was always that way. It is really commercial now. Judgments are made and directions are given to make the cash register ring.”

“Directors say that you should get actors before they are recognized. They will be a pain or have an opinion.”

“You are at the mercies of the dailies. With an indie you don't have that.”

“At West Point, we first lived in Central Apartments in a third-floor walk-up next to the hospital where my father worked. My two younger brothers and I shared one big bedroom, and my parents had a tiny one.”

“Young people are more intelligent and sophisticated.”

“I've never really felt at home in L.A. I've only been here to work, and then I immediately go back to New York.”

“After the war, my father, Bernard, left the Army Air Forces to fly for Trans World Airlines. But after I was born, he retired from commercial flying to be with my mother, Anne, and me. I was born in Kansas City, Mo., but we left when I was 6 months old.”

“At our house, my father loved the arts. Among his favorite things was 'The Metropolitan Museum of Art Album of Miniatures' - a box set of small books on different art periods. I'd go into the living room at night and sit on the arm of his chair as he studied the images.”

“Theater is not to make a living, so I don't have the money pressure.”

“I've been grateful for what comes along.”

“I used to watch dailies and felt I had to keep on top of the character, but I don't feel that any more.”

“I'm more aware of time. The element of time.”

“I failed to fulfill what should have been an interesting role. I couldn't take their formula and bring what I had, my humor, my ideas, and make it my own.”

“I shot Footloose nearby, and we used to hike. Very fond memories.”

“Being a family member is hard no matter where you are. It's hard to be a kid. It's hard to be a parent. It's hard to be a brother or sister. It takes patience and kindness and forbearance.”

“When I was 8, I began to study ballet. In seventh grade, my mother took me into New York to study at the School of American Ballet. I loved ballet - its precision, the escape from uncertainty, and the music.”

“It was just this crazy craziness, and the fact that it was shot in Paris, and it had these incredible people in it. It was an easy thing to say yes to.”