Illeana Douglas

“It was an interesting way to come across in my first big role. To work with Robert DeNiro was very exciting.”

“I'm a huge poster collector.”

“When I do a character, I try to base it on someone I have met or an experience I've had.”

“The best situation is where they cast you and then they trust you.”

“I love anything to do with ventriloquism and magic.”

“In high school, my goal was to be a writer for SNL, then I got into the acting.”

“I had an obsession that I was male characters from movies.”

“I like doing movies that relate to people's experience.”

“I like the idea of capturing people who aren't there to save the world.”

“I wore a lot of vintage clothing. I dressed like a reporter, with a little card in my hat. I had these fantasies of who I wanted to be, so I'd dress like an explorer, a cowboy. I dressed up like Elton John a lot too. That was another period.”

“I did my first nude scene--and my second and third--maybe my fourth all in one movie, thanks to Allison. Allison made me feel like I was a beautiful woman when I did those love scenes. When a man makes you feel beautiful, that's one thing. But when a woman makes you feel beautiful, she's talking about your insides, too.”

“I've done a few studio films in the last few years where I feel like I've done good work, and then I only end up in two scenes. That's been very disappointing.”

“When we were doing a scene, lots of times we would collapse giggling, because it seemed so silly because it felt like we were doing a home movie at times.”

“I want to be an animated character. I'm also doing more writing and directing.”

“There's too much insecurity on studio sets, with all the people standing around, whispering.”

“God only knows what else is on the web about me.”

“I loved the idea of the Nerd as Hero, which Ghost World also had.”

“I love sketch comedy. My real goal is to do something with Albert Brooks. That would be my fantasy. I stay up night and day thinking up stuff he might find funny.”

“I come from a pretty strange family.”

“It's nice to see a movie where people are actually succeeding.”