Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I'm not a hugely social person. Obviously there's a big part of the job that requires that as actors, but it's not the most comfortable for me. I'm a homebody. I don't go out. My life is work and family. There's not a lot in between. That's how I like it.
I have been very, very fortunate on this show, on 'Suits,' where the writers do come to me, and they ask my comfort level and, if they want to push an envelope in a certain direction, if I'm okay with that. And, by and large, I am. I think it's important.
I'll continue to act when the roles are available, and when I get offered something. But creating original content on my YouTube channel and not having to go through networks or studios, the freedom you have to just do it online, I'm never giving that up.
From the fear and constriction that's sort of always pulling us back and keeping us in old modalities, I feel like any expansive act of kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity, helps tip the scale toward a more conscious, liberated existence for everyone.
I lived in New York City for a while and miss it like it's a person. Although I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, I'm a New Yorker at heart. A stroll through Central Park, a visit to the MET, a show on Broadway. There is no other city like it in the world!
I think you choose how you walk through this life. I think if you choose to participate in a paradigm that is looks-based, if you're an actor, then it can be empowering in some ways, and it can be really limiting in some ways in terms of time and longevity.
My first kiss was onscreen. My character learned to drive before I did, so when they asked me to hit the mark with that giant Lincoln, I hit the camera instead. Being an actor gives an interesting perspective on life. And in my case, an interesting preview.
I'm a New Yorker. I was there during 9/11, and I saw how, not only New York City stopped for a moment, we all took an inhale and exhale at the same time - the world united at that time, and it changed my life. I think millions of people were forever changed.
I was big as a kid, very overweight. That caused a lot of insecurities for me growing up, and on top of that, I didn't like the idea of big crowds. I found it quite frightening. I enjoy the company of people who I know, and I'm probably still like that today.
I really think I tried to capture the essence of the comics: what I thought would be the essence of Elektra. And then, as any character that I play, I really tried to dig inside me and try to reach real emotions and transpose that in her world, in who she is.
Like everyone, there are times when I just dont feel like exercising. When that happens, Im a bit more careful with my diet. But on days I really want a treat, like chocolate, I work out a little harder. I dont believe in beating myself up for not being good.
I was trained at a conservatory school, and they usher you into the business by giving you a showcase. I was so lucky that I met with an agent, and he sent me on an audition for a TV pilot, and I happened to book it. It was like complete luck that it happened.
I've experienced all the food and restaurants in New Orleans. I've been doing a bit of touristing when I have the day off, just walking in the French Quarter. To me, it's very, very surprising how people are so friendly. But no, it's very different from Paris.
To play a cop's wife - there's so much in that world, the wives or partners of anyone who is a first responder - it's not an easy job. It's not an easy way to live, to say goodbye to someone in the morning and not know what's going to happen throughout the day.
I think the biggest lesson that I've learned is that no one owes you anything. It doesn't matter if you've worked with this person, or you have a piece of work that you think is great. It doesn't mean they're going to agree with you and give you money to do it.
Some people think that there aren't many Aboriginal actors around, and if there are, they're not that good. It's stupid. There's such an incredible pool of talent out there, and they're still coming out of drama schools. People just need to take a leap of faith.
I don't have a type. I've dated so many different types, different personalities, different looks - from athletic to very non-athletic. The only thing I have to have is someone who is really motivated in life and challenges me. If I don't have that, I get bored.
As with real families, my fictional family on 'Life Goes On' had its ups and downs, and as part of the fictional downers, the actors were often called to cry on cue. This absolutely terrified me, because I was a pretty happy kid who didn't have much to cry about.
Like everyone, there are times when I just don't feel like exercising. When that happens, I'm a bit more careful with my diet. But on days I really want a treat, like chocolate, I work out a little harder. I don't believe in beating myself up for not being 'good.'
I never do things fearing I could do right or wrong. I just do it because I just follow my guts. This is really how I did it for 'Elektra' because I was just amazed by all the comics. I was good for me to get inspired by them, and I just follow my guts for the rest.
The L.A. theater scene is very different. The perception has been that people who love theater do theater in New York. The people who want to be discovered do theater on the side in L.A. But there are people who are very dedicated to theater who love theater in L.A.
At college - I went to Yale, and everybody's very smart, and everybody has their thing that makes them special, and people at Yale would pretend they didn't recognize me. Only after they'd had a couple of drinks would they start singing the 'Life Goes On' theme song.
I lived on the Greek side of Cypress, and I think that's also where my interest in politics really started to come alive. It was the first time that I was told I couldn't go somewhere: My grandfather's house is on the Turkish side, but we were not allowed to go there.
I'm used to riding horses. My father used to breed horses when I was a child. I grew up in Tipperary, in the country, and lots of people have horses there. If my parents hadn't been in the business, we would have them anyway, as pets. And my cousin Richard is a jockey.
My school friends thought I was outgoing and bubbly, but that masked a lot of insecurities, and maybe that's the reason I chose drama - to build a bit of self-confidence. I had a great teacher, and I won a few speech and drama competitions and just fell in love with it.
Growing up in Seattle, I had the opportunity to take classes since I was 7 years old. I did theatre. I auditioned for film, television, commercials, and built up not just a resume but also some confidence. I learned how to master my craft before arriving in Los Angeles.
I think the takeaway is 'The Guest Book' is incredibly unexpected in every way. I know, when I was reading the script, I was surprised with every page turn. It's kind of an anthology, and it really pushed the envelope. It's a risk-taking show, and it's just a lot of fun.
My accent has changed my whole life. When I was younger, it was very Nigerian, then when we went to England, it was very British. I think I have a very strange, hybrid accent, and I've worked very hard to get a solid American accent, which is what I use most of the time.
I guess I'm lucky in that I started working very young in all three of the mediums. I started in stage first, and then I moved into film, also very young, and when I did 'Taxi,' for instance, it was live in front of an audience but also filmed; that was a fun combination.
This is not the story of Elektra from the comics. We're telling the story of 'Daredevil.' In this aspect, the storylines accentuate the sociopathic tendencies in her. The writers wanted to highlight that Elektra is quite manipulative and doesn't seem to have a conscience.
Every set has their own personalities and their own quirks. It's funny comparing starring in a show to going in and doing recurring work - there's already a rhythm that's been established, and people know each other so well. It's like being a guest in someone else's home.
I don't have a creepy uncle, but I certainly have many, many uncles. My mom has twelve brothers and sisters, and my dad has two sisters and three brothers. Their maturity level is still hovering around fifteen when they all get together, but they're not necessarily creepy.
Getting married and then having children just centered me and grounded my values. It was like a whole new world. It started happening in New York with a little play called Cruise Control, where I relaxed, and then I kept getting work in Hollywood till this series happened.
I do have a very wonderful mentor, who helps me and reads my work and criticizes me, all the time. You've gotta have those people, who will tell you the truth and help you. You don't want anyone buttering you up. I want someone to tell me what I can fix. That's what I like.
After I graduated in Vancouver, I had been working on a book about war-affected children and land mines with the foreign minister - he was working at a place on campus and hired me. I then got a job as a Human Rights and Refugees Officer in London, and I loved working there.
I remember my very first audition for a film. I was in Seattle. They were taping the session, and I just went crazy. The director finally said, 'Zoe, what are you doing? The camera's right here. Just talk to me.' And it took that director saying that to me to change everything.
Sometimes I think I don't want to grow old as an actress and deal with the fact that I'm getting less jobs 'cause my face is changing, and then the men... But at the same time, I'm pretty competitive. I don't know if I'd bow out. I might still be acting when I'm in a wheelchair.
Television is a lot more fast-paced, where with films, you really have the ability to get to know your characters. When I was doing guest star roles, I was only one, like, one episode of a thirty minute to an hour show, so you don't really have time to get to know my characters.
To be asked to perform a new 'Talking Head' was beyond any expectation. The matchless brilliance of Alan Bennett's words coupled with the extraordinary wisdom of Nick Hytner's direction made this a thrilling and quite simply unforgettable experience, and I'm enormously grateful.
After four seasons of co-hosting 'Wipeout,' I have been given the opportunity to pursue new directions in my acting career, which I am very passionate about. I am extremely grateful to all those at 'Wipeout,' Endemol and ABC, who have been so supportive of me through these years.
The roles do get fewer as you get older. That's the same for all professions, there's fewer roles for people later in life. I don't think it should be like that because as long as you are able to do your job then people should keep working with you. It shouldn't come down to age.
We go to Montana every year - that's where my husband is from - Flathead Lake, Montana, which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life. It's amazing that his entire family lives there. There's waterskiing, jet skiing, and kayaking, and it's just really fun.
We get so swept up in sort of what the media tells us to care about and all these other influences that we really have to dig down deep and figure out what is it that we as human beings really care about and want for ourselves. When you figure that out, you see who you really are.
I would ask to tweak stuff during the action, because I thought Elektra would more likely express herself with a slap, for example. I wanted to keep the characteristics of my character even during the fights and express the violence as she would do it, not like somebody else would.
I keep pushing for the Crest Whitestrips thing. I get so many compliments on how white my teeth are, but I have to say it's not because of my brushing skills. It's from Crest Whitestrips, and that's the honest truth. I don't believe in going to the dentist and paying for whitening.
Harriet Tubman didn't have strategy meetings or a movement behind her, she was the movement, she was inspired by being sick and tired of the injustice she was experiencing and she knew she had a right to liberty or death, one or the other she was going to have by any means necessary.
My parents are amazing, but when I was like, 'Well, I'm going to be an actress,' and they're all doctors, that wasn't the best and easiest thing to do. I'm sure that I probably went through a year period when I wasn't telling them exactly what I was doing. But that's going to evolve.
About Grade 9 and Grade 10, I had a fantastic drama teacher, and it was one of the first subjects I actually felt that I was good at. I wasn't a mathematician. Didn't like science, any of those subjects. English and Drama were the two subjects that I loved and felt that I was good at.
Pilot season in L.A. is just this blood bath. They make so many pilots, and such a small percentage are picked up. And then if you are picked up, there are so many variables. You have to get a good time slot, and you have to get promoted. And then you have to thrive in that time slot.
When I was 2, I used to put pictures of the Manhattan skyline in a little scrapbook. And I used to wear American 'stars and stripe' vests and Daytona Beach stuff and they used to call me 'The Little Yankee.' Thank you to my producers for having faith in a little nobody from Lancashire.