Marcia Gay Harden Quotes

“Everybody says 'Good Morning' in Harlem because it's true! And that's lovely.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I love it when ugliness is beautiful. I love character flaws.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

In the theater, it's about taking time in a musical segment, a pause in a musical way and then moving on.

— Marcia Gay Harden

You know what I miss? I miss myself, that time to just do things for myself.

— Marcia Gay Harden

My work often takes me away from my family for long periods of time, so I've really come to appreciate the time I do spend with them.

— Marcia Gay Harden

I relate to people and roles that are about the arc of human experience, things that everyday people deal with every day.

— Marcia Gay Harden

“It's very hypocritical to constantly say, 'We want to keep our kids close,' then send them home with so much homework that family time becomes nonexistent.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

I'm not a big fan of mediocre.

— Marcia Gay Harden

“Whether you win or not, the night the Oscars are over, the curtain goes down and you go back to the grind. Period.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I'm always a little starstruck anyway. So to work with a movie star, which is Brad, I was excited about that; to work with a movie legend, which is Tony, I wouldn't have passed that up. Just to get to watch him and watch how he works.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

I loved playing Anne Bancroft, because she was so wonderfully arch.

— Marcia Gay Harden

“Doing theater is such a specifically energetic and almost acrobatic work.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“In theater, you have a rehearsal period and you know just who to be.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

You can manipulate the viewer in film. With theater, what you see is what you get.

— Marcia Gay Harden

“As a mother, I love the Leapster handheld because it really delivers on educating children while they play. My daughter enjoys it because it's fun and touches on all of the activities she is interested in - videos, books and art.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

With any tween, you have issues, from what they are going to wear to school, to how do you get them to speak politely, to how regularly they lose their contact lenses.

— Marcia Gay Harden

“Back in the days of Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis, beauty wasn't the be-all and end-all it is today.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

I always wanted to be in movies.

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I don't think any extremism is rational.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I just never wanted to be too much in the background. I always wanted to be a part of things.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I love physical comedy. I adore comedy of any kind.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I played Laura Bush in a Tony Kushner piece, and afterward, I think my phones got tapped.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

I think to visualize failure as you're starting off is really a bad thing to do.

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I was always an exhibitionist. I liked it when everyone laughed. But I didn't do plays in high school. I was too nervous.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I'm just a pack mule. I've played leads and I've played character roles. Any actress in Hollywood will tell you as your age climbs, the leads thin.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I've been so lucky to work with some great, great writers: Tony Kushner and Yasmina Reza.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I've had an amazing career and amazing blessings. But I'm an everyday person, and I have lived an everyday life, and I drive an everyday car.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I've never really liked horror films.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

If you think someone committed a crime, you should turn them in to whomever you perceive authority to be.

— Marcia Gay Harden

“In any film, there are 10 male roles for 1 female role, especially in the action films. They're heavy with the guys.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

In Hollywood, a lot of acting feels like grandstanding.

— Marcia Gay Harden

In my opinion, Zac Efron is a total hero. Him seeking help encourages other people with addictive issues to seek help. It's brave of him.

— Marcia Gay Harden

Isn't it nice not to have to compartmentalize yourself?

— Marcia Gay Harden

“People have such false perceptions of how stardom really works.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“Shakespeare set a lot of his dramas in a historical perspective or war perspective, or he would study what was going on at that time.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“So far, the thing I seem to have been rewarded for in film is leaving myself behind and transforming myself into other people.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“The trophy wife must be in her 20s to earn the title 'trophy wife.'”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“Working on 'King Of Texas' was a life experience for me.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“You have to make sure that you and your child are connecting, and it does help when they are looking directly into your eyes.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“You want people - I want people to relate to me as a character. I want them to go, 'That could have been me,' or, 'I know someone like that.'”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“You've got to understand what makes the character human.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“After I won the Oscar for 'Pollock,' some newspaper printed, 'She should get a million-dollar bump.' My sisters would write me, 'You're gonna get this million-dollar bump!'”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“Having a dad in the service was helpful. I was forever meeting new kids, going to new schools, moving to new neighborhoods. I was encouraged when I attended the American School in Germany.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I think in terms of family, in terms of relationships, in terms of work, competition to be the favorite, to be the noticed, to be the one - I don't know if it exists for all personalities, but I know for sure it did with me.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“I'm fortunate to have a team of people who help me. I've got an assistant, an office manager, a nanny - she's not full-time, but she's there when I need her.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“In 2005, I had the great honor of playing Shailene Woodley's mother in 'Felicity: An American Girl Adventure.' I was immediately impressed by her work ethic, both on and off set.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“My schools were quite diverse - those who serve their country come from every race and religion - and so the military schools I attended were a wonderful melting pot.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“Oh, I just love being a character actress. You have a lot of fun, and not only that, you save tons on cosmetic surgery because you never have to have liposuction.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“Sometimes I ride my bike to see the kids after a matinee and then ride back to do the show. That's the hard part, but I wouldn't have it any other way.”

— Marcia Gay Harden

“If you are not in the red playroom of pain and pleasure, ... shooting the movie is much like doing any other movie.”

— Marcia Gay Harden