No matter what, I need to maintain my sense of self and always be true to who I am. And that while there are always going to be roadblocks along the way, you're going to be just fine, as long as you learn from each setback.

My mother used to take me to flea markets in my stroller, and I would just rummage through the piles. You've got to dig through the overstuffed racks that everyone else just walks by. It's the only way to find the cool stuff.

I grew up understanding the pros and cons of what you're getting into and knowing what comes with your job. I like to keep my private life private, and then work is work. I feel so far I've had a really good balance with that.

Every day, there is a person following me, taking pictures. It's bizarre because I'm just going to the gym or getting a smoothie. I don't have the time or energy to be constantly put together all the time, but that's real life.

I grew up knowing the pros and cons of the business and knowing what comes with pursuing what you love in terms of being in the public eye. I also grew up among people that were considered celebrities and people that people admired.

I'm not one to hide anything, but I don't feel the need to comment directly on [my relationships]... I think it would be a shame to not live in the moment and not enjoy everything that's happening in fear of other people's opinions.

My mum always removed her make-up at night and taught me early on about the importance of taking care of your skin, especially when you're travelling or extremely busy, because it's so easily affected by your surroundings and health.

I don't like reading things that people say on the Internet because I know so much of it is not true. I don't want to waste my time worrying about what other people are thinking. I just want to focus on being able to do cool projects.

Cate Blanchett. Judi Dench. Helen Mirren. Everything about them. Even their fashion choices. They're so with it and cool and women I admire. They take chances. They're chameleons. Everything that they do. They're also amazing mothers.

Could I see him acting as Warren Beatty directed, and what would that be like? When you see him as those characters, once you get to know him, there is so much of him in them. In fact, I saw so much of him in them that it made me laugh.

I just want to start conversations. I want to do films that prompt conversations - whether that is positive, negative, indifferent - just ones that you leave the theater wanting to know more, wanting to watch the film over and over again.

Everything was just so spot on and character-building for me in terms of creating Celia [Bryant]. The ability to get to wear all these vintage pieces and immerse yourself in that world and get to wear all these amazing hats. And the shoes!

Everything for me has happened so quickly. I finished shooting 'The Blind Side' not this past June, but the June before, and all of sudden up to now, it seems like it's gone from zero to 60 for me. I feel so fortunate to be able to say that.

I do believe in listening to your mind as well that that you need to be smart about certain things, to protect yourself. You need a healthy mix of both really, but it's important not to think so much that you're not able to follow your heart.

I had a mini marathon once I landed the role - going from 'Splendor in the Grass' to 'Bonnie and Clyde' to 'Shampoo' to 'Reds.' I watched them back to back. I found that when you're in the mood for 'Reds,' you're not in the mood for 'Shampoo.'

I find that I'm really attracted to mysterious creatives, and I love people that are able to put their emotions out there for not just the world to see, but just that are giving of their emotions, but a little bit mysterious and elusive as well.

It's great when improv is encouraged. It's a really fun thing. It depends on who's in the movie and how their process works as well. It takes a director who is open to that because you have a script, but then something funny could happen on set.

My mom is such a strong, independent, strong-willed woman, and she always taught me to accept my worth for how I viewed myself and female empowerment, and it's okay to be independent and also need someone at the same time. I kinda get to be both.

So much has changed since the '70s and '80s when it comes to acting and being in the public eye. We'd go out to a restaurant, and there would be five or six people. Now there's a lot more, plus social media, and this desire to bring other people down.

It used to bother me - having bigger, fuller brows. I even plucked them once so I'd fit in, but I hated them and couldn't wait for them to grow back. Now I embrace them. I realized the quirky things that make you different are what make you beautiful.

There's no California tan about me. People assume I can't tan, but I actually can. I went on a trip to Hawaii when I was younger and came back so tan that people were like, 'What happened?' It's just not something I actively do. I want to embrace my ivory.

For me, if I know that I'm with someone that has proven time and time again that they create work that is so different and that they can do what they say they can do and I'm going to have people around me that can challenge me, that's how I view things now.

When I went through my eating disorder, I never sought medical assistance. I created myths in my head about how I should get through things, so the idea that I could surround myself with truth and feel comfortable enough to speak mine allowed me to breathe.

My advice for girls who are waiting for their Prince Charming is to be open for anything. Be open to new experiences, be open to the idea that it may take longer than you want, but if you're open to meeting new people and new adventures, then love will come along.

Definitely with the fit of clothing - how it really depends on mere centimeters and millimeters of difference in terms of how lengths can make such a big impact on your shape. I learned how to incorporate a cute peter pan collar on a dress and not make it look juvenile.

I used to be a big planner and had to have things figured out ahead of time, but I'm learning to love living in the moment. Last night, I called my friend up randomly and said, 'Where are you? I want to come see you!' It's not a new version of me. I'm just embracing it more.

I did a film recently in the Republic of Georgia [upcoming 'Halo of Stars'] which was based on a long poem written by the director. We found that all these words were beautiful as a poem, but for humans it was more about the emotion or a look than just saying what was there.

How women dressed every single day back in those days is seen as kind of incredible - it must have taken so much time. But there's something so romantic about that because it's so different to how we dress. That aesthetic is so appealing, it's not what we're used to nowadays.

No, I like to wear as least amount of makeup as I can during my everyday life because I'm just all about keeping my skin healthy and hydrated and I love to laugh and have a great time and smile - that's when I feel the most pretty so I just want to make sure that I stay happy.

I think it's important to relate to one another about issues that you're having, because the second you open up and someone else says, 'Oh, me too. I feel the same way,' then all of a sudden, you feel more at peace with yourself and you can feel more confident with who you are.

Because my dad was often gone, I never wanted to do anything that would make him stay away even longer. I became extra careful about what I said and how I said it, afraid he'd think I was angry or didn't love him. And the truth is, I was angry. I missed him and wanted him there.

I used to go into rooms of older executives and try to pitch talk show ideas and when I was writing as a journalist I would pitch ideas for my articles and I definitely understand that excitement of a pitch and what that is to be young and a woman and trying to make your voice heard.

I like to think of myself as a very passionate person, and as very determined. So, if I set my mind on something, I definitely stop at no end to find within myself the power to keep going, whether that involves thinking of a new approach to a problem, or physically challenging myself.

Wearing a corset, a ball gown, heels and a swan hat with wings to fight in the forest gave me a whole new appreciation for everyday clothes, because you really become that alter ego while wearing those costumes in those environments on the set. They just influenced everything you tried to do.

Everything happens for a reason and, of course at times it's very discouraging, but at the end of the day you can't take it personally and move onward because if you let it sit with you, then it starts to eat away at you and you're allowing someone else to steal your excitement. No one wants that.

Not many people know my father was an actor. He was the Artful Dodger in 'Oliver!,' and was in a film called 'Frauds,' too. It's interesting talking to him about acting, how much you can get turned down, and how not to take that as a discouragement. It's nice to have that element to relate to for us both.

The weirdest moments for me are in Los Angeles when I go to a mall that I've shopped at since I was 12, and now there's like, massive pictures of our faces everywhere, at my local coffee shops now there's these billboards of people wearing the T-shirts and stuff. It's very strange, but it's really exciting.

It's great when improv is encouraged. It's a really fun thing. It depends on who's in the movie and how their process works, as well. It takes a director who is open to that because you have a script, but then something funny could happen on set. So, to have people around you who encourage improv is really exciting.

The journalist in me always loved relating and socialising and connecting with people, but there came a point where I needed to make a decision to stop that being my focus and really focus on acting - an audience are only really going to believe me as a character to an extent if they don't know me as Lily that well.

The fans reacted very positively to me being cast [The Mortal Instruments] which, as a Twilight or Harry Potter franchise, when you read a book and you have someone in your mind or you have a vision and then they're cast in real life, it can go either way. So I was very, very honored and happy that they were excited.

I've grown up seeing the pros and cons but I love it and I've always wanted to act. Throughout all the rejections at auditions, and especially when I finally did get something, both my parents have been so supportive and always told me it is all about passion and, if I was doing it because I love it, there's no wrong choice.

I'm such a believer in going to set, even when you're not working, because I think the best things to be learned, you don't necessarily get from your own scene or from someone speaking to you and telling you advice. I think it's all about watching and just taking it all in. It's not even when the cameras are rolling, necessarily.

At first, I didn't hang out with celebrity kids. That wasn't the way I was brought up. I went to a run-of-the-mill Catholic primary school when we first moved to L.A. But then I went to a high school where there were lots of 'industry' children. Those weren't my best friends and I've never set out to make myself a part of that scene.

When I first covered [presidential election ] in 2008, I was asking questions for kids around the world, but mainly for myself. I didn't know the process, I didn't know how it worked. Now, of course, I'm more schooled on it, but I deal with so much politics in my fashion work and in Hollywood, that I haven't been as connected this time.

Celia [Brady] is a young woman who, you know, she's still got that fresh young vibe about her but at the same time she's quite wise beyond her years and very mature and she has that womanly, sexy quality, but at the same time she's very youthful in her clothes. She has that interesting mix between the two. I really love that balance about fashion.

Marla [from Rules Don't Apply] especially, believed that she has a certain set of rules that she had to abide by, in order to be successful in Hollywood. How she acted, how she approached things and even in her relationship with her mother - there were a lot more rules and regulations expected of ambitious women, even before they got into the door.

It's actually a character choice for a movie I've been filming in South Korea called Okja. My director had this idea of having my hair be a very vibrant red/pink/watermelon color. We haven't finished filming so I'm kind of riding the wave of the red hair right now in terms of everything else that I have to do with The Last Tycoon press and you know, regular life. I'm really loving it. It's turning into a thing for me.

I'm such a believer in going to set, even when you're not work because I think the best things to be learned, you don't necessarily get from your own scene or from someone speaking to you and telling you advice. I think it's all about watching and just taking it all in. It's not even when the cameras are rolling, necessarily. You can see how they interact with the rest of the crew, and how they deal with being a character and then being themselves.

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