Quotes from Claire Danes

Narciso Rodriguez was my first fashion big brother. He made my wedding dress, which was wonderful.

You know, let a few years go by until I hit my midlife crisis. Then that can be documented on film.

You have to stay hydrated when you have crying scenes.

My parents never condescended to me. As a child, I always sat at the head of our dinner table. I was always given a lot of responsibility.

Every three seconds in the developing world, a child dies needlessly due to lack of basic health care and other things we all take for granted.

On a film you can really get away with learning the scene the night before and that's often just not possible with TV, so you have to be a little bit more prepared a little bit more in advance.

I think you can become dependent on fame and be as known as you want to be, you know?

I'm so impressed by Jennifer Lawrence and Carey Mulligan. They have this exquisite taste. They are very gifted in their ability to make great choices.

I actually think in some ways that it might be more challenging to be bipolar because it's so mercurial - it's so ever-changing. You can't get any traction. You can't build on a system. Whereas, somebody who has Asperger's, which is certainly a much more forgiving expression of autism, can create models for coping and build on them over time.

It's been a great privilege to see how interwoven nations are and how incredibly complex these relationships are. It's so elaborate.

I still have a book club with my friends from when I was 5. That's the privilege of growing up in a place where people want to remain. It's a huge gift.

My character was kidnapped by the Terminator and I was kidnapped by the Terminator production.

I got an agent when I was 12, and I started working in more amateur productions well before that. But even as a kid, I never felt like a kid actor, you know? I always took myself kind of absurdly seriously.

People with bipolar disorder have difficulty with boundaries.

When you really get it right in acting, it's an act of empathy. You feel less distant from others, and that is really exciting.

Fame doesn't end loneliness.

Television lets audiences deeply connect with characters.

There was a solid year and a half, perhaps two years, after making 'Temple Grandin,' when I didn't do anything. I just didn't have much patience for roles that were silly, or light, or inconsequential.

It just seems like the most successful, iconic love stories are not so easy or escapist. I think the ones that stay with us and resonate are full of conflict, discord and misunderstandings 'cause that's what makes drama happen or tension even if it's a comedy.

Maybe philosophy - I love talking about ideas. Or maybe art history. I was thinking about psychology, then I got really afraid because everybody says it's terribly boring.

If I took my characters home with me, half of my life would be a misery, I think. No, I tend to compartmentalize work from my life. I'm not terribly method.

You are the most brave intrepid person I have ever known, and you have dedicated your life to helping those who are misunderstood and underrepresented.

I could truly have gone through life thinking that women were these venomous creatures. Turns out, they're not.

I like reading novels because it provides insight into human behavior.