Annette Bening Quotes

I wanted to go to New York and be a stage actress, doing things like Chekhov. None of that happened, and then I went to L.A. and an agent said, 'I think you belong in commercials and TV.' So I did that and got some opportunities that I absolutely love.

The truth of the matter is I stayed in L.A. raising my children, and when they went to college, I packed my bags along with them and came to New York and looked for parts in the theatre, because that's always what I preferred doing.

I did nothing but dramas for seven years in New York. I didn't really start anything comedic until I moved out to L.A. and found The Groundlings.

I wound up getting my degree in sports medicine and nutrition because I wanted to work in the medical field. But I wound up taking a trip to Los Angeles and decided being an actor sounds pretty cool, too.

I definitely caught the acting bug, but that lasted for about two seconds when I found my way to L.A. and found that my talents were better suited behind the cameras.

I don't miss acting at all.

I did nothing but theater until, I guess, '99. I was all the way through college the first time that I had stepped in front of a camera. And it's weird; it's definitely a transition.

I decided to go to school for advertising and graphic design. That was what I was gonna do but acting is that thing, it's like a splinter in your mind and you can't get rid of it. So I decided to move to L.A. a few years ago and it just snowballed into this thing called 'The Hunger Games.'

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.

I thought I might not want to act any more after having a baby. It turns out I still enjoy it.

I never thought I would become an actress.

I want to do everything. I just want variety and longevity. I've never filmed a movie before, I want to do that. I want to come back to theater at some point. But I was in New York for like ten years, grinding. I'm ready to be in L.A. for a little while, and really experience film and television.

I never thought I'd be an actor.

When I was young I longed to write a great novel that should win me fame. Now that I am getting old my first book is written to amuse children.

I've always wanted to do a Shakespearean soliloquy, or a fake Shakespearean soliloquy, and now I'm doing that more often in shows. Things I've always wanted to do starting to happen.

Since Catherine [Zeta-Jones] and I got together, I've cut back dramatically. My priorities changed, and I still love acting and all that, but not as much as I love watching my two kids grow up.

I did a lot of musicals when I was younger. And then I went to Northwestern University, and I did more musicals. I went on to do more work in Chicago, and then while I was in college, I got flown out to Los Angeles to do a screen test for 'Back to the Future.' When I got to Los Angeles, I was like, 'Hmmm, this is different.'

Things change; your priorities change in life. So I'd never think of riding 100 miles on Christmas Day now, because I've got two kids, and it's selfish.

I went to Los Angeles for acting, and I thought that's where I wanted to go, and I found out that I didn't belong there.

I always saw myself as a stage actress, and that was the reason I wanted to act, but very slowly, I've changed.

When I look back, I remember how being a part of Bollywood was never the plan.

After we finished filming 'Sinbad,' I went out to Los Angeles for meetings and was invited to a pre-Oscars party. I met Victoria Beckham, Kenneth Branagh, and Gary Oldman. That was quite a leap for me.

I realised that acting is not my god.

I do feel like I've changed a great deal, but not anything outside of the norm of what most people experience as they grow and they take on the responsibilities of parenthood and being more engaged in their business and all that stuff. I think it's a pretty natural evolution.

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.