Paula Malcomson

“I'm pretty excited about the state of TV these days. There's great opportunity for really complicated relationships, in a way that I don't really see as much in movies anymore.”

“Actors bond really quickly.”

“A room full of hundreds, let alone thousands, of people is not my most fun thing in the world.”

“I love 'Happy Valley.' I love 'Transparent.' I love 'Fleabag.'”

“I've been watching detective shows, like 'Wallander' and the Danish 'The Killing.' I'm like, 'That would be kind of fun to do.'”

“As actors, we're a little faster than other people with breaking down the walls.”

“I have the same criteria for choosing roles as I have always had: fantastic writing and complicated characters.”

“I had a ringside seat to cancer. As have most people.”

“I don't work with a lot of preparation. I think very well on my feet, and I'm very good when the pressure is on.”

“It's definitely hard to say good-bye to a character that you've played for a long time.”

“There's no way to fake weight loss - you just kinda have to not eat.”

“I'm not interested in a pretty world. It's boring to me. If you're lucky enough to get to play a character for a long time, it's life-changing.”

“To me, movies is just scratching the surface for the work. There are people who are so, so great at that.”

“Cursing is heavily used in the Irish language. It's not a stretch for me, and I have no qualms about it. It doesn't fall far from the real me.”

“Being a good actor is sort of understanding the complexity of the human psyche and also knowing that we are none of us perfect.”

“I like to work long-term on projects. It's fun to go in and out and get in there and do something and leave it behind, but to me, the real satisfaction is doing five years on a show, where you're really just up to your eyes in it. It's part of your life. That's what makes me the happiest.”

“I try not to be too profane around children or old people. Other than that, that's how I speak.”

“I don't have keepsakes from shows, really. It's in the work. It's all there.”

“I'd like to try comedy, at some point, but no one ever hires me for comedy, ever.”

“I've done network shows. A director will call me and say, 'Do you want to do this with me?' and I'll say, 'Sure,' but I couldn't do it forever because there's no real expression. That's not how people talk.”