If I'm in Italy, I'll have an espresso, but I try not to get my energy from things like that.

I think, in the past, being brave - being powerful, being strong - were qualities that people associated with being masculine. And I think... no, I don't think - I know that now we're realizing they can be feminine, too.

I grew up in a low-income family. I was raised by a single mother.

I do know that people treat me different with blonde hair than they do with red hair.

There's a lot of criticism on how an actress is aging. Why do we do that with women? I work with a lot of men who take terrible care of themselves - they drink too much, or they eat too much. We need to allow women to age.

I talked to congressmen who really hate having to go to the many fundraisers, but they see it as a necessary part of their job.

My grandmother was my inspiration. She was the person who took me to the theater and encouraged me to act, and she's the one who always believed in me.

One of my goals is to play a villain in a Bond film. People ask me if I want to be a Bond girl, and I say, 'No, I want to be the villain.' I'm waiting for that call!

I'm going to do anything I can to be there and support any organization that empowers and creates opportunities for women.

For the most part, I was surprised by the representation of female characters onscreen. I do hope that when we include more female storytellers, we will have more of the women that I recognize in my day to day life.

I just don't think of myself as a movie star - I'm an actress.

I'm a shadow whisperer: I hide in the shadows. And I tend to avoid places where I might get photographed and end up with my picture in the press.

My favourite smell is the smell of cut grass, and the sound of sprinklers going on.

There have been situations where I have lost movies because I've said, 'This is not a fair deal,' and I've walked away.

I don't know if there will ever be a day that I'm not wearing heels. I'm a very big personality, and I don't like to look up at other people.

If I get a role, it's because I fought for it.

Funny how defined we are by how we present ourselves to the world.

I just want to see more women in film and behind the camera. I'm tired of seeing movies from one perspective.

I look at all the ingredients of a film and say, 'Is this a positive thing that I'm putting into the world? Is there honor and respect in the way the story is being told about them? And would they approve of that?'

I'm really inspired by stories I didn't know about.

The reason we like acting is connecting to other people.

In our society, women are valued for their sexual attraction. I'd like to get away from the sex symbol idea of what beauty is. Actually, that's probably the farthest thing from beauty, because it's makeup and hair, it's pouty lips - it's not real.

We have a long way to go in the world in all industries. If I'm in the situation where I have equal experience to the other actor and my role is just as significant, there is no reason why I should be paid less. It's not really part of my world anymore, because I just won't accept it.

I'm working hard to break free of stereotypes that the film industry has created and nurtured around women.