Shohreh Aghdashloo

“I didn't want to live in an Islamic society because I knew I wasn't going to be a first-class citizen, and I knew I was not going to be able to keep doing what I was doing as an actress.”

“Cinema is a reflection of its own society.”

“I proud to say that most of the Iranians love me and love my work. I love them, and I always have them in my mind when I work. There are few people who do not agree with me, but truly, I don't care. I call myself an actress with a mission.”

“I do pick my projects very meticulously. I want my projects to be meaningful.”

“I do fairly represent Middle Eastern women.”

“I studied international relations in England, and I wanted to pursue higher education and be able to analyze what was going on in Iran politically, not only in Iran, but in the Middle East.”

“Iranians call California and Iran 'sister cities;' they're very much alike. Iranians feel at home here and the weather is so close to Iranian weather.”

“The whole world is global. With the Internet, it's like we're all living in a small village. We're starting more and more to realize there is no difference, we can work together, we can put aside our differences and work on our similarities and be successful in that way.”