Bulgaria is fascinating. Because it had been a Communist country until the mid-80s, so it had just recently transitioned. And there were still the police towers on the street corners, where they look down - they were still there, although no one was in them.

Joan Cusack

You know, I loved math. My mom was a math teacher.

Joan Cusack

I think America has a bad rap right now... and hopefully Obama will change that.

Joan Cusack

I take parenting incredibly seriously. I want to be there for my kids and help them navigate the world, and develop skills, emotional intelligence, to enjoy life, and I'm lucky to be able to do that and have two healthy, normal boys.

Joan Cusack

I play- it's kind of like a slice-of-life, LA women in their forties, playing forty kind of what's their friendship like, and what's their life like and so I just play one of the four friends.

Joan Cusack

I was never the 'babe,' so I knew I'd never get those big roles. I'd always be the best friend or the quirky sidekick.

Joan Cusack

I think just because life is hard, it does seem fun to have a break and laugh about things, so I think in the end, my instincts go there.

Joan Cusack

As a parent, you have to figure out how to shape your kid's character. You want to have human beings who learn about good character. You have to be able to see your child with clarity, see the good side and the bad side of them, and work on the bad side and make them better so they fulfill their potential.

Joan Cusack

Skating is big in Chicago. There's a lot of hockey; a lot of the boys play hockey. And figure skating is big.

Joan Cusack

A relationship is hard in and of itself. And having kids is really hard work, but I think it's really meaningful, as is a relationship. But they all take work.

Joan Cusack

My dad was a very funny man - he's the one who taught me life would be awfully hard without humor! I'm sure his Irish wit in some way influenced my decision to become an actress.

Joan Cusack

I mean that I think I find the psychology of people more interesting than politics. I think the psychology of politics is more interesting than straight politics.

Joan Cusack

I think acting has helped me come out of my shell because when I play a character, I can't be self-conscious.

Joan Cusack

In L.A., it's easy to get caught up in what you look like or how much money you have, and those aren't values I want my kids to adopt.

Joan Cusack

I think us gals need to stay in and just change the way it works, so men aren't being workaholics and avoiding life and relationships, and they can make films in a reasonable amount of time, so you can have a family and a life outside of work. And have more balanced, content-driven, enjoyable movies.

Joan Cusack

Can they do both? That's a huge balance, I think, with kids- trying to find the right- it's everything, you know, it's social life, it's academics, it's sports.

Joan Cusack

We need comedies in the world! We need to laugh, it's all so hard.

Joan Cusack

I think there's nothing better than laughing in life, so that's nice, to be thought of as someone who can make someone laugh. It's 'cause I think life is hard. You know, my dad was a really silly man. A great Irish silly man. And that's fine.

Joan Cusack

Maybe I'm more drawn to those kind of parts because they are meaningful to me. I mean, more parent-y ones, I find them interesting to do.

Joan Cusack

If you do television, and it's great, it's the best job there is. Every week it's another opportunity to really make that work and figure out how to make it work better. I love that it's like theater too, and the audience, and it's so short, like twenty minutes... It's like a Haiku or something.

Joan Cusack

I think there's a million talented people out there, it's just a matter of luck a lot of the time.

Joan Cusack