Marcia Gay Harden

“I've never really liked horror films.”

“I love being a mother; I hate being a housewife - the cooking, the laundry - because it takes away time I could be with my kids.”

“You want people - I want people to relate to me as a character. I want them to go, 'That could have been me,' or, 'I know someone like that.'”

“I always wanted to be in movies.”

“I love physical comedy. I adore comedy of any kind.”

“I've been so lucky to work with some great, great writers: Tony Kushner and Yasmina Reza.”

“I loved playing Anne Bancroft, because she was so wonderfully arch.”

“I was always an exhibitionist. I liked it when everyone laughed. But I didn't do plays in high school. I was too nervous.”

“Oh, I just love being a character actress. You have a lot of fun, and not only that, you save tons on cosmetic surgery because you never have to have liposuction.”

“As a mother, I love the Leapster handheld because it really delivers on educating children while they play. My daughter enjoys it because it's fun and touches on all of the activities she is interested in - videos, books and art.”

“Everyone thinks offers are always pouring in. Offers have never poured in. Never. I was auditioning a lot, but I didn't get the jobs.”

“In any film, there are 10 male roles for 1 female role, especially in the action films. They're heavy with the guys.”

“It's hard to balance work and family.”

“Harlem is a very family-oriented neighborhood, and it always has been.”

“I examine other people's characteristics, so when I'm playing characters, I don't always have to make them me; I can transform into others.”

“They tell us in magazines and in ads, 'Oh, you should look like this, you should wear this, you should look like this movie star, or you're nothing.' And so we're all totally unsatisfied.”

“I played Laura Bush in a Tony Kushner piece, and afterward, I think my phones got tapped.”

“I just never wanted to be too much in the background. I always wanted to be a part of things.”

“I have a theory that there's almost this primal viewpoint on women in the business, that once you're beyond childbearing age, you are perceived as nonthreatening, nonsexual, noncastable. Sure, I already knew it before I got into it. I just didn't know I'd end up making my living from low-budget, independent films.”

“Whether you win or not, the night the Oscars are over, the curtain goes down and you go back to the grind. Period.”