Estella Warren Quotes

I've been really lucky. When I decided to go to LA I said I was going to quit modelling and just go and see how I do. In the first two weeks I got three movies. I was so excited I had all my furniture shipped out from New York.

I began my career performing in plays and musicals in New York, but by the mid-'80s, opportunities in Hollywood beckoned and I made the move to Los Angeles. It was a good decision. Work took off, but most important, I met my family out there - my husband, Bill, and the children we would adopt: Elijah, Mae-Mae, and Aron.

After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles to do more theater, not realizing there is very little theater in L.A. It was a lucky mistake, though, because after just 2 1/2 months of waiting tables, my TV and film career really took off.

I feel like I'm the luckiest actress in the world.

In 1981, I borrowed 2,000 pounds - a lot of money back then - paid 50 quid for a seat, packed my own sandwich, and hopped on a plane to America. It was a mighty leap, but one that paid off. A week later, I got a job called 'Remington Steele.'

I am so grateful that I accepted the offer to do 'CSI,' but it was like being shot out of a cannon, and it was so different from anything that I have ever done.

'Mad Men' has been my big break. I'm beyond thrilled.

When we moved to L.A., I started going out for more commercials, and then one day they emailed me a movie script. The first thing I said was, 'No way. I love commercials.'

'The Stand' came out in May of '94 and was seen by 60 million people a night for four nights, and then two months later, 'Forrest Gump' opened. So within a very short time, I went from being depressed about not getting any work to being in two of the most popular shows of the year.

Nobody paid any attention career-wise to me in America until 'Bronson.' It gave me a calling card and passage into America, where I've always wanted to work.

Boom, I move to L.A. after doing 'Aftershock,' and I've been actually working here. So it's all been 'boom'; it's all been 'boom' everything. It's so exciting. It's been amazing. I'm a very lucky girl.

I still don't consider myself as going Hollywood. I did a movie because the opportunity presented itself and it was fun. When everything stops being fun, I'll go onto something else.

I've had to fight for roles and I've lost a hundred roles, but 'Smoking' and 'Smith' were phone calls. That's the dream.

It's definitely an exciting time to be an actress.

I screen tested for 'The Tudors' in N.Y. That was my first experience of N.Y., being flown here to screen test with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. So I have very, very fond memories of New York - New York helped give me my first big break.

I always wanted to make motion pictures, ever since I was a wee boy, and I was 32, and time was marching on. I met a guy who said, 'Come out to Hollywood for 10 days, and I'll get you a deal.' So I figured, 'OK, 10 days.' On the 10th day, he got me a development deal with Disney, not for a lot of money, but it allowed me to make the move.

One day I'm lugging walls back and forth in Louisville, and the next day I'm at Cannes giving interviews next to Ben Kingsley. I'm nowhere near cynical or jaded enough not to be incredibly thrilled by that.

I went from sort of trying to get work to all of a sudden being signed up for the next few years on something, and something of this scale with some of the best people in the business involved, acting and directing. It was a dream.

I was just so lucky with 'Real Women Have Curves.' At that point, I would have done an insurance commercial. I would have done anything.

When I moved out to L.A., I went on 156 auditions before I booked a single thing.

I was one of the shortlisted girls for the female lead of the Oscar-winning film 'Slumdog Millionaire' along with Freida Pinto.

I auditioned for 'HQ' and got it. I decided to stay in New York and ride this 'HQ' thing out. That was a good decision.

I got a chance to work with Judi Dench in almost every scene. How many Indian actors get that chance?

I'm good at forgetting auditions, and then there is a surprise to getting something.

When I came to Mumbai in 2005 for a holiday, I received work offers. So I decided to stay back and pursue a modelling and acting career.