Annette Bening Quotes

We still want to idealize moms, and sometimes we want to idealize actresses who are moms, too. I know that’s something I’ve experienced, but we’re all just doing the best we can and we’re all trying to raise our kids and talk to them about everything that needs to be discussed.

We all perform our lives in a way. And the actor is a perfect metaphor to get at that theme of ‘how do we find our authentic selves?’ And that we all – whether we’re actors or not – perform ourselves. As a way of searching. As a way of fumbling around and trying to say, is this my voice? Is this who I am?

The tension I feel is the moment they say, ‘Action!’ Movies are like lightning in a bottle, and you always want to find when you possibly can catch a surprising moment.

Right now, I love the fact that I have so many opportunities, but I know this privileged position cannot last. That doesn’t mean that I’ll stop working. I picture myself as an old actress doing cameos in films with people saying: “Isn’t that that Bening woman?”

Oh, honey, I’m from Oklahoma! This is who I am – middle-class all the way!

My parents were very supportive. They went to every show. And they never told me not to do what I was doing.