Ben Mendelsohn Quotes

When my parents separated, I was very grateful.

I had what you could call a chaotic childhood. My parents divorced when I was 2; I went back and forth between my mom's and dad's houses for years. But, you know, my parents tried to do the right thing. As crazy as everything was, and as much fighting and everything, there was always a feeling of support from them.

When I started music, I think it was responsible for keeping me sane, because training as a dancer really kept me in good spirits amid all the crazy stuff that happened when I first became popular.

If ever I was feeling down I would go and write something. It's a form of escape.

My parents were reluctant to let me start auditioning until I was at least a little bit emotionally stable - I'm still working on that! And so I started when I was fifteen, and it was the best thing that could have happened to me in terms of being able to focus my crazy teenage energy into something good.

I've always been in the theater. I've always gone to it. That's been my way to cope. Early on in my career, I remember running - fleeing - to the theater as a way of coping with all the meshugaas that was going on for me.

My acting career helped pull me through the rough times.

I think every family is dysfunctional, and some manage to control it better than others.

It sounds cheesy, but music has saved me in a lot of ways. If I had just continued acting, I don't think I would be alive.

I grew up in a house that had a whole lot of trouble. As much trouble as you could imagine.

I didn't come from a background where I saw a lot of loving couples. All my aunts and uncles were either split up or fighting all the time. The only healthy relationships I saw were on TV.

I had great difficulty in school interacting with others, and I took refuge in the contrived setting of play acting, which is what I still do.

Me and my dad are kind of distant since my mom and him separated.

Rap music is really good when you're traumatized.

I sort of feel like music saved my life when I was young. This is the one thing that I knew I was good at.

My parents' marriage was very rocky. They were always arguing. When they split up when I was in my 20s, my brother and I were both delighted because we knew they weren't good for each other.

From a child's point of view, there is rarely a great time for parents to separate, even if there has been a lot of commotion and fighting.

My father left... but I tell my mom - and I told my mom this when I was a kid - I said, 'You know what, Mom? Good thing he left because you're a strong woman.'

If I grew up with a dysfunctional family, I would eventually start a book club.

I have so many e-mails from people who are like, 'I never knew a family could be happy like this... My parents hate each other. I hate my brother. We fight all the time. I never wanted to have kids before I saw your family.'

My mother and father split up when I was three and my brother was still in the womb.

I had a very dysfunctional family, and a very hard childhood. So I made a world out of words. And it was my salvation.

If I hadn't had acting, I would probably have imploded.

Music kept me sane between acting jobs.

I was the sibling that kind of kept it all on a level when life at home got tough. I did it through comedy, sarcasm and distraction. All families are complicated, but my home life was glaringly uncomfortable much of the time, and it was me that took the onus.