I'm not that conservative. I do feel - I guess I'm more of a Democrat at heart, although I've never affiliated myself with a particular party.
Kathy Bates
My inner strength comes from my friends. I have a very close group of friends and family, and we all help each other through our dark times.
My mother used to ask, 'Why do you always write such sad songs?' I don't know if I was different from a lot of adolescents in that respect.
It matters to me, acting. It's what I do. It's what I've given up a lot to do. It's my life source. And I guess I'm too serious about it sometimes, but I want to treat it right.
I haven't talked much about being an ovarian cancer survivor because I don't really want to define myself that way.
My deeply secret favorite movie is 'Meet Joe Black.'
Every time an Oscar is given out, an agent gets his wings.
When I met President Obama, all I could say was 'wow' - twice. What an idiot.
I went from years of honing my craft to sudden recognition. It was quite a life changer.
I look for a role that hopefully I feel empathy with and that I can understand and love, but also that has that challenge for me to play - a different kind of role, a different type of character, a different time period.
Cancer and its aftermath changed my outlook in a profound way. I've become less of a hermit, and I travel more.
I kind of grew up on horror.
My mother used to tell this corny story about how the doctor smacked me on the behind when I was born and I thought it was applause, and I have been looking for it ever since.
And people are always saying: 'Well, you go to Hollywood and you get yourself a film career or a TV series, and then you can do anything you want. Because then you've got the clout.' That had always sounded like a lot of hooey to me, but now I think it's true, unfortunately.
'Misery' left a lasting mark on me. When I die, it will be 'Kathy 'Misery' Bates Is Dead.'
People will come up, and they'll talk about 'Misery.' But a lot of people will talk about 'Waterboy.'
What I love about 'The Office' is the fast pace and the zaniness of those characters.
The Oscar changed everything. Better salary, working with better people, better projects, more exposure, less privacy.
I used to play guitar years ago. It brought me a lot of pleasure when I was a teenager growing up and was having tough times.
It was also wonderful to have the prospect of playing with Jack Nicholson. It was a terrific part, a terrific script, with Alexander Payne and Jack Nicholson. You can't get any better than that!
After winning the Oscar, I was committed to do 'Fried Green Tomatoes,' but I didn't know what the next thing would be after that. It was a scary time. But the advantage of TV is the regular work. All you need is a hit series, I guess.
I've heard of actors like De Niro and Streep who stay in character all day long. And Daniel Day-Lewis did it for 'My Left Foot.' I don't do that myself.
I have always had a problem with my weight.
I was never an ingenue. I've always just been a character actor. When I was younger, it was a real problem, because I was never pretty enough. It was hard, not just for the lack of work, but because you have to face up to how people are looking at you.
Drama comes more naturally to me. It's the comedy you really have to delve into.
I try to always stretch myself to fit the characters that have been presented.
When I first went to interview for 'Misery,' they were saying things like, 'You're not Michelle Pfeiffer, you know.' And I just don't get the relevance of that remark. I'm not Elizabeth Taylor, either. I'm not Sean Connery.
I think that being in an environment is a much richer experience than just working on a soundstage.
Jack made it very comfortable for me on the set. We'd met socially before but never worked together. You know, he's very professional, very disciplined and he's always prepared and knows his lines.
The roles I was lucky enough to get were real stretches for me: usually a character who was older, or a little weird, or whatever. And it was hard, not just for the lack of work but because you have to face up to how people are looking at you.
For a long time I did not want to do television because I did not want to get stuck playing the same person. I wanted the ongoing challenge of a variety of roles.
Alexander Payne's very specific. His scripts are always complete when you start working on them.
I didn't go out on one date in high school.
One of my favorite films is 'Psycho,' which I saw when I was 12.
I'm always so nervous when I have to do interviews or be on 'The Tonight Show' or the 'Oprah' show, where I have to be myself. I don't know why that's such a big deal - being yourself. But for some reason, I feel good in a dark room talking to actors about acting, doing acting. I like sitting backstage watching people work.
I got my SAG card quite unexpectedly. I was here in Los Angeles doing a play called 'Vanities' - it was 1976, I believe - and I got invited by Dustin Hoffman, whom I'd met in New York, to come audition for a movie he was directing.
I hope I look skinnier in 3D. I hope I don't look three times as fat. That'll be disappointing.
I'm not a stunning woman.
I want to be defined by my own essence.
I have to pay the bills just like everybody else, but it also pays my soul to work.
I'm very lucky to be able to do what I love to do, and I hope I can keep doing it for a while.
I have had periods of depression in my life.
I have really focused on mindfulness. That helps me make better choices both physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
I love 'Homeland.'
I really just love to work, and I don't care if it's TV or movies.
I've been in the business for so long that I don't sit home and look at my awards.
I don't sit home and watch movies I've done before.
I regret not taking my 83-year-old mother to the Oscars the year I won. She deserved the Oscar for giving up so much for me.
When Aretha Franklin came on the radio when I was in college, we would stop the car, throw open the doors, jump out, and dance.
