Art often reflects what's going on in the world, and we're seeing stories that are very diverse and that are lead and made by women because that's what's in our world.

I think my guideline has been to find things that inspire me. And as long as I stick to that, I don't think I'll have any problems crossing over to becoming an adult actress.

To go from Girl, Interrupted, where I had to cry every day, to a TV show like West Wing where I get to laugh and joke around every day, has been a welcome relief.

There's nothing like getting yourself into character and seeing a different person. It really wears on your vanity.

I think one of my biggest influences is Bette Davis. I've seen almost every one of her films, and she's been very inspiring to me.

Our house was open to anyone who needed a little extra support or comfort or just a home-cooked meal.

It is better to risk starving to death then surrender. If you give up on your dreams, what's left?

When the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again.

My family has never been there for me. They expect things because we're blood.

While F.D.R. once told Americans that we have nothing to fear but fear itself, Mr. Ashcroft is delighted to play the part of Fear Itself, an assignment in which he lets his imagination run riot.

The only thing I can do is act, but it's not something I even feel comfortable doing. It costs me a lot, because I'm a shy person, even if I don't look it.

Gambling is not a vice, it is an expression of our humanness. We gamble. Some do it at the gaming table, some do not. You play, you win, you play, you lose. You play.

The basic rule of human nature is that powerful people speak slowly and subservient people quickly - because if they don't speak fast enough, nobody will listen to them.

Man is immortal; therefore he must die endlessly. For life is a creative idea; it can only find itself in changing forms

Once you feel like you're being dictated by other people's expectations, it usually backfires.