Beauty,
to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass
red lipstick.
I
don't really understand the concept of having a career, or what agents
mean when they say they're building one for you. I just do things I
think will be interesting and that have integrity. I hate those tacky,
pointless, big, fluffy, unimportant movies.
I
have a sort of sisterly feeling toward Ben Affleck. I want him to do
well and grow up and be a happy person and a fully realized man.
I
try to remember, as I hear about friends getting engaged, that it's not
about the ring. It's a grave thing, getting married.
It
changed me more than anything else. You don't want to get to that place
where you're the adult and you're palpably in the next generation. And,
this shoved me into that.
It
really changed my life. When we split up, something changed,
permanently, in me. My heart sort of broke that day, and it will never
be the same.
People
have become inappropriate. People have pushed too far. People have
climbed one too many fences. I'm just tired of it.
It
changed me more than anything else. You don't want to get to that place
where you're the adult and you're palpably in the next generation. And,
this shoved me into that.
It
really changed my life. When we split up, something changed,
permanently, in me. My heart sort of broke that day, and it will never
be the same. - about her 1997 break up with Brad
Pitt.
I
try to remember, as I hear about friends getting engaged, that it's not
about the ring, and it's not about the wedding. It's a grave thing,
getting married. And it's easy to get swept up in the wrong things.
I
find "Sex and the City" (1998) irreverent and shocking. It's
one step beyond how girls really talk. I would do a cameo on that show
in a flash.
I
realized life is so short and precious, you should do things that make
you feel inspired, that push you and teach you something. I'd rather not
have a big house, a huge closet of clothes, diamonds and a private
plane, and instead a body of work that I'm proud of.
I'm
glad that some day my children will be able to see my father and hear
his voice, get a sense of who he was. One of the things that disturbs me
the most about the fact that he's dead is that I feel like a statistic.
I sort of feel like one of those people who was unfortunate and lost
their father when they were 30, and life goes on. But he was so unique
and so incredible, I don't like to think about it in those terms.
I
worked so much in my 20s and I really burnt the candle at both ends. I
wasn't too picky about what I did and I was lucky that I did some really
good films, but I also did some really rubbish films, I think part of
the downside about being so successful and winning the Oscar at the age
of 26 is that I sort of became insouciant about the things that I chose.
I thought 'oh, I'll just try this, it'll be fun or I'll do that for the
money....' Things like that now I would absolutely never do.
The
simpler things are, the happier they are.
The
work gets more difficult as you get older. You learn more and you gather
more experiences, there is deeper pain and higher highs.
There
are certain women in this business who have children and I just think,
'You must never, never see them.' You can't do movies back to back and
see your child if they go to school.
Our
marriage is between us. If we decide to continue being together or not,
it's our business.
It
was very, very difficult. I was trying not to barf. I felt terrible.
Even
actresses that you really admire, like Reese Witherspoon, you think,
another romantic comedy? You know. You see her in something like Walk
the Line and think, God, you're so great. And then you think, why is she
doing these stupid romantic comedies? But of course it's for money and
status. I just think, wouldn't it be great if all of those movies people
went to see were about real women?
I
love the English way, which is not as capitalistic as it is in America.
People don't talk about work and money; they talk about interesting
things at dinner parties. I like living here because I don't tap into
the bad side of American psychology, which is 'I'm not achieving enough,
I'm not making enough, I'm not at the top of the pile.'
I'm
very happy here (in London) and I really like the way the film industry
works, everybody cares. I like that it doesn't have this big
capitalistic feeling. When you do something in LA you really feel the
crew are punching the clock.
I
sort of look at some peers of mine and I think, 'No, you've got it all
wrong.' I just want to tell them all to have babies and be happy and not
get sucked into that Hollywood thing.
I
find the English amazing how they got over 7/7. There were no multiple
memorials with people sobbing as they would have been in America. There,
they are constantly scaring people but at the same time, people think
nothing of going to see a therapist.
Brits
are far more intelligent and civilized than Americans. I love the fact
that you can hail a taxi and just pick up your pram and put in the back
of the cab without having to collapse it. I love the parks and places I
go for dinner and my friends. It's a pretty city, you know.
British
people don't seem to ask each other out on dates. If someone asked you
out they're really going out on a limb, whereas in America it happens
all the time. Someone will come up to you and ask you for dinner and
you'll say, 'Sure'. It's no big deal and no weight should be attached to
it. It's only dinner, for God's sake. Yet in Britain, mostly what
happens seems to be that people meet at work. If there's a little
something there, then they hang out together and, all of a sudden,
they're boyfriend and girlfriend.
It
would be a lot easier on Brad
Pitt and Jennifer
Aniston now had they not talked to the press about each other and
everything to begin with. I learned my lesson at 24.
She
says 'Mummy' instead of 'Mommy', I don't mind that. I will if she starts
saying 'basil' and 'pasta' the English way, as that really drives me
nuts.
If
I have my daughter in the car and they are making me nervous, I'll do
whatever I have to do. I keep a whole log. I take pictures of their
cars, write down license plate numbers, everything. If they do it again,
I can go to the police. I know my rights, and believe me, I will have
them arrested. I will stop at nothing.
Beauty,
to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass
red lipstick.