A biography for Mary Steenburgenhasn’t been written yet.
“I love writing music.”
“There's something inside of me that just connects or doesn't connect with the project.”
“Ultimately, there are only two emotions: love and fear. And pretty much anything else you want to name can be broken down into one of those.”
“My family didn't have money to travel, so reading was how I knew about the world. It made me hungry to have more experiences than just what I could possibly experience in Arkansas.”
“I actually believed if I behaved myself and if I made straight A's and if I was good enough, I could save my dad's life. And every single time he had a heart attack, I knew what I had done that caused it.”
“Our culture loves movies and TV, which is wonderful, but there's something a little bit passive sometimes about watching, because you're looking at other people's imagination at work.”
“I started in improv and went into different kinds of things.”
“I'm a very musical person.”
“I'd already made the decision before I'd even read it-just because it was John Sayles. Then when I read it, the themes were actually themes that have been a big part of my life.”
“I am lucky enough not to have to take jobs unless I love the material.”
“You've never seen anything until you've seen David Mamet be an Edwardian lady. He always conveys what he means, but he's so... masculine.”
“I'm real strong, and I'm also real feminine, and I don't find a struggle having those two things under one roof.”
“I had two wonderful teachers: Sanford Melsner and Fred Kareman.”
“Every child in America fantasizes about running wild in the White House for a few minutes.”
“I think the secret to what Jim Henson did, ultimately, is that he understood how to cut through to the... I know this sounds corny... but the child inside of you.”
“I couldn't imagine trying anything else besides acting. But I didn't know that to make it meant I'd be on a movie screen.”
“I panic at parties. I don't like talking absolutely nothing and pretending, so I'm quite odd socially.”
“I decided if you're lucky enough to be alive, you should use each birthday to celebrate what your life is about.”
“'Step Brothers' is probably the film the most people who approach me want to talk about.”
“When I was going through sad times, I'd watch 'Cheers' at the end of the day to make me feel better.”