Quotes from Carrie Coon

There's a lot of ambiguity in life, and so often, our art is very neatly wrapped up at the end, when our lives never feel that way.

There's this thing in TV that I find hysterical where the writers and creators will ask us if you want to know what happens to your character or if you want to experience it episode by episode. In the theatre, we always know the ending; we always know where the character is going.

Parents always stay older than you, but sibling sort of become adults together, and that complicates that relationship, I think.

It's much harder to act poorly written material. It's much harder to memorize poorly written material.

My family was always wondering why I ended up playing people who were mentally ill, insane, downtrodden, and a little crazy. I think what they don't understand is that most female parts are written basically as hysterical women.

I think there is no better training than being onstage because here's the thing: the theater requires you to act with your whole body. I think acting with your whole body gives you a root, and you can build from there.

I think women have long been defined by their roles as procreators and wives, and we're expected to serve, take care of, say 'Yes,' and not ruffle any feathers. Women, in particular, are sometimes not allowed to consider who they are outside of the roles that they play.

As actors, we have to say yes to everything for a really long time. You say 'Yes' to anything you can get.

My husband and I are huge bibliophiles. He's always reading 'The New York Times Book Review' and then ordering 20 books online.

I didn't expect to pursue acting at all, let alone TV and film, let alone New York or L.A. I was quite content doing Shakespeare out in Wisconsin.

I've been seeing a lot of theatre in New York, and I am sort of terribly jealous of everyone on stage but also really appreciating it in a way that you can't when you're in the middle of it.

The women I know are smart, interesting people who aren't just there to service the men's stories, so I don't know why our art continues to do that.

I'm from a family with five kids in it, and my father almost became a Catholic priest. And my mother never went to church, but she's the best Christian I know. My siblings have all chosen different paths to or away from their spirituality.

Why do we insist women are cast 10 years younger than the role they're playing? Men don't know what a 30-year-old is supposed to look like because on TV she's always 20.

I always liked church. I was one of those kids who was desperate for the statue of Mary to talk to me, which is a very egotistical approach to your faith. I just wanted somebody to pay attention to me.

I think Noah Hawley's writing is hilarious, and I love a good dark joke.

I was an Emmy nominee and an Emmy snub.

The 'Fargo' characters, they're the characters of my people. They're stoic, hardworking, uncomplaining, and I loved them.

My parents are just really down-to-earth, earnest, hardworking people that don't want for anything. I think that really served me because when you put more value on experience than things, then you're going to go out and have experiences.

We haven't evolved a hero story that's female. We're always trying to fit women's stories into this male structure, which is this rising action, this powerful conflict, and this falling action. And I think a female hero story is not that. It's something else.

I think if people stick with 'The Leftovers,' it's a very rewarding viewing experience. I wanted to be part of that - and what a great cast we got. I wanted to be one of those actors, in that show!