Quotes from Jennifer Connelly

Becoming a mother has made all the difference in terms of learning to take more responsibility for myself and my life. Parenthood changed the way I do everything.

People who are incapable of having any kind of intimate relationship have to turn to feeling this incredible hunger and void, have to turn to some quantifiable external product to make them feel whole.

The biggest thing for me is wanting my kids to grow up safely and have happy lives. To me, that's enough.

Strong brows is what I have, and I embrace them.

At the end of the day, what difference does it make if you made 10 films or 18 films? You made 10 films, but you had a great relationship with your kids, or at least you did your best not to screw them up irrevocably, or you made 18, and they don't return your phone calls.

I wasn't brought up with any religion at all. At school and in my early 20s, I read every religious text I could get my hands on - Buddhist scriptures, Hindu texts, the Qur'an, and the Bible. I wanted to feel like something made sense to me, that there was something sacred I could feel aligned with.

I didn't expect to win the Oscar. You grow up watching the Oscars on TV and you think it happens to fancy people. It was really surreal.

Growing up, being watched from the outside... it's kind of very taxing and maybe I should just do some kind of manual labor-it might be more relaxing. But I can't, it's not in my nature.

I don't know if I was a star. I was certainly working a lot and that was strange because there were good things about it and things that were difficult.

As I get older, I have a clearer sense of what's important to me.

If you get too attached to how you want it to come out the other side, you freeze. I try to trust that it will work out in the end.

That's a great feeling to know that I'm going into a project that I have no idea what will become of that movie, but I really trust Ang Lee. And I really trusted Ron. It's just really nice to work with people that you feel that way about.

People who are incapable of having any kind of intimate relationship have to turn to feeling this incredible hunger and void, have to turn to some quantifiable external product to make them feel whole.

I still get recognized for 'Labyrinth' by little girls in the weirdest places. I can't believe they still recognize me from that movie. It's on TV all the time, and I guess I pretty much look the same.

The thing that really matters to me is well-being and happiness. Maybe it comes from knowing people who have tortured themselves trying to meet these strangely narrow and rigorous definitions of what our culture thinks is beautiful.

You can't predict what someone else is going to do and when someone else is going to leave.

I'm really blessed. I love my job. Love going to work. I just love it. I love getting it, I love preparing for it. I love the whole process. I love the whole ritual. I'm really very lucky. Lucky girl.

I almost moved into a place over a funeral parlor. My father said, 'That's just too macabre,' but I thought I'd be embracing my mortality. I told him it would keep me grounded - like when people get skull tattoos.

I try to stay focused on my life and do try not to be brought into the Hollywood fantasy.

I'm so happy in the projects that I'm able to make, to be involved in projects like this. This isn't always where it was at for me, I started working when I was a kid. I'm just a different person now, I'm 30. I started working when I was 11 and it's a different ballgame.

I do finish reading a script and say, Why are they making it and what are they talking about? I like to try and be responsible in my choices in that way.

I met David Bowie when I was 14, and he became a hero to me - because he was an artist, and because he was a genius who had the time to be kind. I'd never met such an extraordinary artist before, and I haven't since - the world will be a greyer place without him.

I don't always like my own behavior. I haven't known anyone who is perfect all the time.

I would not want to be on a cruise ship. Some ferry crossings I'm not too thrilled about.