Emily Mortimer Quotes

I was too shy to be in films. But, my father thought it would work for me. It took a lot of time for me to think about getting into films.

I told everyone that acting's for losers and I needed to get an education. But something kept telling me to give it one last chance. In the end, I lasted a month on the M.B.A. and then decided to quit, come back to L.A., and try again.

When I was younger, I was almost too afraid to admit that I wanted to be an actor.

I remember lying in bed one night when I was 15 and deciding I was ready to go into acting properly. I'd put it off until then because I didn't feel I was ready to handle the rejections.

One of the reasons that I needed to become an actor was that I didn't have any self-confidence.

I was always much more shy. All I knew was that I loved to act. But I don't know about the other part of it. I'm not sure I had the chutzpah to go and prove yourself.

I thought I could never be the actor Dad was, so I avoided it for a while.

I've played so many jobs where I'm fearless, but it's far from me. I wish I were like that in real life.

I was just a little girl watching TV and wanting to be in it. My parents had no idea how to get me there, but here I am as a part of this great cast on the Disney Channel. Truly, if you just want to do this, then you have to commit to it.

There have been people in my life who have told me I have to put myself out there more. But it's so hard for me to do that.

At the start, I had no idea to go into fashion, because I thought people would think I was stupid. I don't worry about those things anymore.

I have always wanted a solo career, deep in the darkest pit of myself, but I didn't dare admit it to myself even. It took me a long time to confront my fears.

I've really fought to get into rooms, and I'm a big believer in auditioning. It's hard, because I'm insecure, but I have an intense desire to prove myself to people.

The one who intimidates me is myself. I'm scared to fail. That is the thing that makes me the most afraid, to fail. Just to think that I can do a mistake and lose the fight scares me, so that is why I work out a lot: to bring more chance to my size and less chance to my opponent.

Post my graduation, I really thought that acting was something I wanted to do. I simply took a chance and started auditioning, and I loved it.

I remember all the stages in my career where I almost didn't have enough confidence to try for something, almost didn't have the guts to follow something I was excited about doing, because I didn't know anyone else who'd done it, or other people made me question it.

Just do what makes you happy and try. Just go out and audition.

The last thing I wanted to do was act, because it was the path of least resistance.

I'm scared of rehearsals, I'm scared of doing all this because I don't feel like I'm an actress.

I grew up on movie sets, so it was something I just found familiar. When I was growing up also, in high school, I would audition for things and my parents let me audition for things - with the thought that I wouldn't get them. And then I would get them... sometimes, and it would surprise them.

When I was younger, I used to write to directors when I was unsure I could play a role. I'd say: 'You've made a terrible mistake.'

It's not like you do 'SNL' and then get handed movie roles. You work, you audition for stuff and try to get it. I think, a lot of people, it's the goal to be in movies or just to be working in general. But yeah, some of us get lucky and get some movie roles, and it's nice.

After I began to explore what an actor actually is, I studied for three years before I had the guts to go on an audition.

In general, I'm pretty shy and nervous about a lot of things. For me to get on stage for the first time took so many times at an open mic before I finally got on stage and did it.

I didn't think I was an actor and fought it for a long time. Nobody paid for that but me.