Annette Bening Quotes

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Annette Bening

Profession : Actress

Birth : May 29, 1958

Our children see us a certain way, and we want to be seen by them in a certain way. I certainly want to be a strong, stable, loving, consistent presence in my children's lives. But we are human beings, too.

Annette Bening

I find the reality of our emotional lives interesting.

Annette Bening

It's kind of a mystery to me, as far as my own life experiences and what I've witnessed - why some people can just move on through traumatic experiences, in childhood particularly, and why other people are just paralyzed by it. I just don't know how and why that is.

Annette Bening

I am really looking forward as I get older and older, to being less and less nice.

Annette Bening

I love the luxury of the camera. The camera does so much for you. I like the secrets a camera can tell.

Annette Bening

My character in 'Running With Scissors' is manic-depressive. She starts out as a wonderfully eccentric person, and then descends into a terrible illness.

Annette Bening

I'm interested in writing that explores all sides of human beings.

Annette Bening

What really motivates you to try to work things out as an actor is in large part fear, because you want to get into that narrative and bring the audience along.

Annette Bening

I have perfected the art of putting my feet on my husband's lap during awards ceremonies so he can rub them.

Annette Bening

I'm still very critical of myself in film.

Annette Bening

I think when you're at your best as an actor, it is cathartic.

Annette Bening

I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I am an avid mother, let me put it that way.

Annette Bening

There's so much of our psychological makeup which is impermissible for us to explore because it's inappropriate or perverse or scary. I'm interested in exploring that in myself. I try to be honest with myself about everything that I feel. I'm not saying I'm able to do that all the time, but it's something I'm interested in.

Annette Bening

To me, I didn't think of acting as being a young thing only.

Annette Bening

There are so many different kinds of relationships, so it's sort of difficult to define what is considered normal.

Annette Bening

I always wonder about people's history and their lives, especially people that are a little bit more distant, who obviously have had some kind of a thing, and you know there's some reason why they're not able to connect. It's not because they don't want to. They don't have the ability.

Annette Bening

I think what's interesting about the whole paparazzi thing is that unless you're Brad Pitt or Madonna, you can pretty much avoid it. You know when you're going to an opening that you will be photographed, so that's fine. And you know the restaurants that have paparazzi, so you don't go to them.

Annette Bening

I've tried to take roles with great demands.

Annette Bening

I don't really have a choice. I'm getting older.

Annette Bening

I remember hearing someone say that good acting is more about taking off a mask than putting one on, and in movie acting, certainly that's true. With the camera so close, you can see right down into your soul, hopefully. So being able to do that in a way is terrifying, and in another way, truly liberating. And I like that about it.

Annette Bening