Taylor Schilling: I don't know my armpit from my elbow in Los Angeles.

Be yourself. You're okay. And it really doesn't matter what other people think.

Taylor Schilling

being-yourself people thinking

It takes a lot of bravery to be authentic and honest and to take that social mask off in order to connect with another human being. So much of what makes us who we are is smoothed away online. And what truly connects us is the wrinkles, not the smoothness.

Taylor Schilling

wrinkles bravery order

Life is so much easier when I allow myself to be myself and go with the flow.

Taylor Schilling

easier flow life-is

As an actor, what I'm finding is that I really like the extremes. I think that's really fun to play with.

Taylor Schilling

play fun thinking

So often, we're expected to maintain some sort of standard - that won't get you where you need to go.

Taylor Schilling

standards expected needs

I don't feel bound by my face or my body. I don't feel like that's the biggest gift I have to offer the world. I feel like there are more parts of me to offer than that.

Taylor Schilling

body faces world

I'd love to do theater. I've done so many plays in my life. I still think of that as my main thing.

Taylor Schilling

done play thinking

For me as an actor, daring is to tell the truth - to be yourself, no matter how the world interacts with that.

Taylor Schilling

being-yourself actors world

There is something so sad about going online and seeing almost everyone shouting ‘Notice me, notice me!’ Which is such a human desire—to be acknowledged. But me responding to that with some sort of ‘You’re noticed, you’re seen’ only perpetuates the loneliness. Because I’m not seeing you; I’m not noticing you. And whoever you are, you so deserve to be noticed and valued. I feel lucky to have not grown up with the Internet because it forced me to get out, struggle and be so messy.

Taylor Schilling

loneliness struggle desire

I dont like it when people dont hold the door. I dont know, that really bugs me... I guess I like manners.

Taylor Schilling

bugs doors people

I tried to hostess... but they fired me after four days because I couldn't figure out how seating plans worked.

Taylor Schilling

plans four figures

I try not to eat too many raw vegetables. I only have one raw meal a day. At night I eat warm, cooked foods. I like to drink lots of tea, but no coffee. Not drinking coffee has changed my game for the better.

Taylor Schilling

coffee drinking night

Whatever it is that I am working on is what I become obsessed with.

Taylor Schilling

obsessed

I had a hard time on TV, the last time on television, so I wasn't sure that I wanted to do that again. But, I really am a big fan of Jenji and I knew this is her next thing, so I read it. And once I read the script, I was really, really impressed that there was a woman who was the centerpiece of her own story, and that she was in the center of her own narrative.

Taylor Schilling

hard-times fans stories

Honestly all the sweets and bad stuff on set don't really call to me because I'm working so much. I've trained myself to stay away from sugar.

Taylor Schilling

sugar stuff sweet

I had an unorthodox high-school experience; I shifted around to different schools. When I got to college and met Larry Sacharow, who ran the theatre department [at Fordham University in NYC], he was the first person to say ‘I believe in you.’ At that point, I just needed someone to say ‘I see you, I get you, let’s go.’ It’s an amazing thing to borrow someone else’s confidence in you; it can change your life.

Taylor Schilling

college believe school

If it's a good day, I get 'The New York Times' on my iPad, and if I have a little time in the morning, I like to look at that while I'm eating.

Taylor Schilling

good-day new-york morning

"The Notebook" is one of my favorite love stories.

Taylor Schilling

notebook love-story stories

I love Ben Affleck so much. He's an amazing director.

Taylor Schilling

love-is directors

I actually like pole dancing! It gives you so much confidence. I never thought I'd do it, but now I'm really into it.

Taylor Schilling

pole-dancing dancing giving