Quotes from Kathy Bates

I think that being in an environment is a much richer experience than just working on a soundstage.

My mother used to ask, 'Why do you always write such sad songs?' I don't know if I was different from a lot of adolescents in that respect.

What I love about 'The Office' is the fast pace and the zaniness of those characters.

I'm not that conservative. I do feel - I guess I'm more of a Democrat at heart, although I've never affiliated myself with a particular party.

I've been in the business for so long that I don't sit home and look at my awards.

I have to pay the bills just like everybody else, but it also pays my soul to work.

I have had periods of depression in my life.

My mother used to tell this corny story about how the doctor smacked me on the behind when I was born and I thought it was applause, and I have been looking for it ever since.

I hope I look skinnier in 3D. I hope I don't look three times as fat. That'll be disappointing.

I haven't talked much about being an ovarian cancer survivor because I don't really want to define myself that way.

I want to be defined by my own essence.

When I first went to interview for 'Misery,' they were saying things like, 'You're not Michelle Pfeiffer, you know.' And I just don't get the relevance of that remark. I'm not Elizabeth Taylor, either. I'm not Sean Connery.

I went from years of honing my craft to sudden recognition. It was quite a life changer.

The Oscar changed everything. Better salary, working with better people, better projects, more exposure, less privacy.

One of my favorite films is 'Psycho,' which I saw when I was 12.

I have really focused on mindfulness. That helps me make better choices both physically, psychologically, and emotionally.

I've heard of actors like De Niro and Streep who stay in character all day long. And Daniel Day-Lewis did it for 'My Left Foot.' I don't do that myself.

After winning the Oscar, I was committed to do 'Fried Green Tomatoes,' but I didn't know what the next thing would be after that. It was a scary time. But the advantage of TV is the regular work. All you need is a hit series, I guess.

When Aretha Franklin came on the radio when I was in college, we would stop the car, throw open the doors, jump out, and dance.

I was never an ingenue. I've always just been a character actor. When I was younger, it was a real problem, because I was never pretty enough. It was hard, not just for the lack of work, but because you have to face up to how people are looking at you.

I regret not taking my 83-year-old mother to the Oscars the year I won. She deserved the Oscar for giving up so much for me.

It was also wonderful to have the prospect of playing with Jack Nicholson. It was a terrific part, a terrific script, with Alexander Payne and Jack Nicholson. You can't get any better than that!

For a long time I did not want to do television because I did not want to get stuck playing the same person. I wanted the ongoing challenge of a variety of roles.

Every time an Oscar is given out, an agent gets his wings.