I have no problem being 53. Why would I want to be 35 again? I want to discover who I am in my 50s. And if I tried too hard to look younger, it would seem that I was uncomfortable with who I am, wouldn't it? Ellen Barkin More Quotes by Ellen Barkin More Quotes From Ellen Barkin You've got a movie where the pro-choice family gives their daughter no choice. The pro-life family murders. What seems to be the good mother, the kind of hippie painter, sweet and cute mother has no love for her daughter really. Ellen Barkin daughter mother cute I guess if you're lucky enough not to have to pay your rent, then you or I take much more seriously the kind of work that I do, what it takes for me to leave two teenagers of my own and six stepchildren and a husband and four grandchildren. Ellen Barkin grandchildren teenager husband There have been advances in the technology of beauty that I think are great. & you know what? Use it. Ellen Barkin technology use thinking When I played Leonardo DiCaprio's mother, they liked that Leo had very hooded eyes and a rounded nose with a ball. They said, They look like they could be mother and son. Ellen Barkin eye mother son I don’t want to be a mentor in my bedroom. Ellen Barkin bedroom mentor want There's no slow build anymore where you get a little part, then you get a little better part, then a better part, until one day your agent calls you us and says, 'guess what, you're a movie star,' and you say, 'Thank you!' Ellen Barkin one-day stars thank-you My husband thinks he's compromising if we have one cook instead of three. Ellen Barkin three husband thinking Would you just strap some toe shoes on and dance 'Swan Lake?' No. Would you just put a violin in your hand and - ? No. I felt that way about acting, and I was taught to feel that way. I didn't come to it on my own. Ellen Barkin swans lakes hands I'd never say I'll never have a facelift, but I'm way too scared of looking like a different person. I have no philosophical or political position on plastic surgery; I just don't want to look crazy. And I don't like not being able to tell how old someone is: It's creepy. Ellen Barkin philosophical political crazy Skinniness is not your friend when you're over 40. I'd like to gain a good 10 pounds, but I did always have a fat, round face that plagued me when I was young. When I started to make movies, I couldn't look at myself. Ellen Barkin gains faces looks 'Normal Heart' was my most transcendent moment as an actor. Ellen Barkin normal actors heart My first movie was 'Diner.' My second movie was 'Tender Mercies.' I did really good work. Ellen Barkin diners mercy firsts I'm Method trained. How is this character like me? What does she think of her mother? What does her mother think of her? It's like construction, and then, yes, you hope you're talented and that the universe aligns and captures the kind of laborer's work you've done and whatever else sprinkles down on you, and it's all caught on film or onstage. Ellen Barkin mother character thinking I'm a little more extreme than a homebody. Unless there's some event I really have to go to, I don't like to leave my house. Ellen Barkin events house littles I am to a fault an introspective person. But I am not a reflective person - except for a big mistake, and then I really think about it. Ellen Barkin faults mistake thinking I wish I had a little more ambition. But then what would I do? Turn down more roles with more vehemence? Me no likey worky. Ellen Barkin vehemence ambition wish I was trained by Method acting teachers and we were taught that aside from whatever gift you may or may not have or the level of that gift, that you were obliged to know how to build a table. It's a craft. It's like being a ballerina or a violinist. Ellen Barkin levels acting teacher I remember my first friend who got sick. It was 1981, and the disease was called the gay cancer. I don't think the word 'AIDS' came out until '84. I just remember it being terrifying as more people got sick. We didn't know how you could catch it, you heard all kinds of crazy things. Ellen Barkin cancer gay crazy I like being married. I like taking care of people, having someone to make dinner for. Ellen Barkin dinner care people I just would never go audition, and yet I was in very visible places where people would come looking for actors. I say I'm lazy, though I'm sure if I were in therapy for a lot of years, it would turn out to be a lot more than laziness. After awhile, it was, like, too embarrassing for me not to go on auditions. I had to be humiliated into it. Ellen Barkin lazy people years
