Quotes from Laura Dern

I tend to always love material with flawed protagonists and morally ambiguous people.

Having been raised by actors who love moral ambiguity and flawed protagonists, I feel like it's sort of in the blood to want to take it on.

I remember there being a period of time when I had a baby, and I was so sleep-deprived that I'd get into having no filter, and that was not good.

My favorite books are psychology, self-help, and I'm fascinated by Jung, by dream work.

A lot of people have asked whether acting is in my genes. I don't know if anyone is born to act. And it certainly wasn't pushed on me. It was something I wanted to do.

I know that I've seen a mannerism, or a way I've cried, or something, where I see a flash of my parents.

I like to play people who are deeply flawed, and I want to find the good nature in them. I even try to be kind to myself when I've made big mistakes.

I love when actors can let go of where and how they have to do it, and just that we do it. That we are flawed and human, and don't worry about how we look or who we are, or that it seems too old of a character if we're still young.

I care a lot about fragrance not only in my life, but sometimes it feels right while working on a character.

You don't always get to work as much as you like, because I'm waiting to find things that I care about. Sometimes that's frustrating.

I've always loved film more than theater.

I always fall in love with qualities of people I work with.

For me, the greatest good fortune I have being raised by actors is I came in knowing that a career is the ebb and flow.

I'm interested in flawed protagonists. I was raised on them.

I can't say 'I'm proud to say' - because it's not a choice for many Americans - but I can say I'm fortunate enough to not be raising my kids on McDonald's.

God bless nannies.

The bad news is, I have worked less than I have liked. The good news is, I can look back on my body of work and feel truly proud of the work I have done.

I've worked with David Lynch since I was 17, and working with him is home and family; being around Alexander Payne is home and family, Jonathan Demme. There are directors... Robert Altman, Paul Thomas Anderson... They are directors where I create homes.

Irvin Kershner, no matter what anyone says, has done some great work. 'Eyes of Laura Mars' is an incredible movie.

I always wondered what it would be like to have a normal childhood.

I worked with HBO on 'Recount,' and we had a wonderful experience together. I'm such a fan of HBO and how much flexibility they give in character as well as schedule.

I have a very wonderfully, bizarrely amazing relationship with my mother in that we've been through a myriad of emotions because we've acted together and played all these different kinds of mother-daughters.

Me and Woody Harrelson, we're twins. We're the same person. I should only make movies with him.

I wanted to go to Jupiter. That was my plan from day one, and David Lynch gave me the ticket.