Quotes from Mary Elizabeth Winstead

I always wanted to perform in some capacity since I was a kid - I was a ballerina, then a singer before acting.

I come from a pretty scientific family. My sister is a neurologist and my brother is an engineer.

To me it's so much like Spaced in that way. Um, which I love so much, so I think fans of that and fans of the comics are going to really see that up on the screen.

I love playing characters that are strong, when there's physicality involved.

I love anybody who's willing to stick to their own vision, their own voice, who's not easily swayed by money or by financers who are going to tell them what they should do.

I'm a really cautious person, so I don't let myself get into near-death experiences. I'm not into the idea of skydiving or anything.

It's just about trying to find material where I'm doing more than just being a plot device. I want to actually get to do scenes that go to interesting places and are challenging to me.

If you let too many cooks in the kitchen it could cloud your vision of what you want to do.

You have to believe that it is what you want to do with your life and you have to be dedicated to it.

There are obviously people who want to be very niche, but I think for the most part everybody is trying to reach a larger audience.

I'm a fan of films in general; I mean, I don't think I've ever considered myself specifically a horror fan even though I do enjoy horror films, find them really entertaining.

You don't have to play masculine to be a strong woman.

I was that overachieving, annoying kid who was always trying to win some contest or win the role. I look back on it now and I'm like, "Chill, man." Calm down.

I do get starstruck working with Bruce because even though he is such a nice guy he's a real movie star. I grew up watching his movies it is just really hard to get used to just being around Bruce Willis. I mean, he's Bruce Willis!

But as an actor you do want to challenge yourself and step outside what you have done in the past and that what I like to do, I like to jump around and try different things and stretch myself.

I think, like a lot of actors and people in the arts who are struggling to get where they want to be, you spend a lot of time sitting around grumbling about how you're not doing the kind of work you really want to do. But there's a lot of complacency in that, too.

I think for most actors, because we sort of have to tell ourselves this, we always say, 'Oh, it doesn't mean anything to win an Oscar!' It certainly isn't a goal that you want to set yourself up for, because then you're just setting yourself up for disaster. Because how many people actually win an Oscar?

I was always a performing arts kid in general - but I felt like my ultimate goal was to be an actress and be in films.

The more I work the happier I am.

I think my drive to work has gone up a bit since I've gotten older.

There's a little wire work, which is so much fun. You can fly, it's amazing. But I've had to mostly just sort of kung fu, you know, ground work. Footwork and stuff like that.

I acted in theater and I took film classes when I was 12 and just obsessed over it. I loved it and spent hours and hours in the film studio learning and watching.

You're literally sized up with measuring tape as a 13- or 14-year-old girl. I wanted to opt out of that experience.

I mean every character you totally, you know, the full fiber of the personality is kept in the film, and all of those little moments, all those funny little tidbits are all in there.