Elisabeth Shue

“I really love 'Soapdish.' I wish 'Soapdish' had more of a moment because I felt that that is a really strong, funny movie. Kevin Kline is hilarious in that movie.”

“Almost six years ago, before I was given the incredible opportunity to be in 'Leaving Las Vegas,' I was going through a long period of artistic confusion. I'd spent years doing work that hadn't pushed me enough, and I was beginning to wonder if I had any talent.”

“I spent my whole life trying to play the games males play.”

“After three major movies, I was like, 'Oh, I guess you're supposed to get a publicist?' Girls that are in the business now that are successful are more savvy.”

“I may look like the girl next door, but you wouldn't want to live next door to me.”

“Every film is a crapshoot. It's a mystery when a movie comes together. I've never been able to figure it out. I don't know how I make my choices. The only thing you can do is know there's something about a character that you really want to experience.”

“Robert Kennedy was such an inspiring figure. His interest in politics seemed to come not from a desire for power, but from a need to help our society live up to its ideals.”

“It would be really wonderful if people connected to the loneliness of what it means to be a human being in the world today.”

“I may be the girl next door, but you wouldn't want to live next to me.”

“It took a lot to get attention in my family. No wonder I'm an actress.”

“I don't think 'Cocktail' was a perfect critical success, but it touched a vein in our culture.”

“People love to talk about how the '70s are the only time they made movies about characters, and adult movies, and complicated people. But in the '80s, they got away with some of those too.”

“I don't have high expectations anymore. Maybe they've just been beaten out of me.”

“My mom had started to go to work when I was nine or ten, so I was aware of women trying to find their own identities by working. But I was still influenced by men to such an extreme. I wanted to play their games and wanted to compete in their world and be like them.”

“What keeps this industry challenging as an actor is that you never know how something will turn out. The ups and downs are constant. You're never just smoothly sailing along. You're always going to be on loose footing. That's what ultimately now I expect and accept and that doesn't scare me as much.”

“Sometimes when I read about my rebellion in print it sounds a little overrated.”

“I try really hard to give my kids as much independence as I can, caring mostly about their character: Are they kind? Generous? Do they work hard?”