Claire Danes Quotes & Sayings

I guess I stopped acting when I was 18 and didn't pick it up again until I was 21. That wasn't the plan, though. When I first started at Yale, the plan was to do a movie each summer. — Claire Danes

I was very driven to act from a very young age, and my parents were not only tolerant of that drive but also encouraging. — Claire Danes

You have to pick your battles on set. — Claire Danes

Money or no money, acting is my calling — Claire Danes

My husband and I have watched a lot of Hitchcock movies in bulk, and there's a lot to be gained from that, from focusing strictly on an artists canon. — Claire Danes

I really have never been concerned about being beautiful on-screen. That's just not my jam. — Claire Danes

I discovered Christopher Isherwood in college. His writing style is so direct, warm, and inclusive. — Claire Danes

It's my job to find the cornel of truth and then exaggerate, exaggerate, exaggerate until it's of an appropriate scale. — Claire Danes

I fantasized about being a psychology major when I first started school, and I took a handful of Psych 101 classes. — Claire Danes

So much of my job is about finding another job, and that's really boring. — Claire Danes

I'm human. I think people see me as sweeter and softer than I do. — Claire Danes

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. — Claire Danes

I've always had a really active imagination. Lots of kids have imaginary friends. Mine just took on a rather demonic form. — Claire Danes

I think people who make movies and have invested a lot of money in them get frightened that if they challenge an audience they are going to repel them. And I think the opposite; it's really true. — Claire Danes

I was a serious kid to an absurd degree. I was overwhelmed with responsibility. You know, trying to play grown up. I overdid it. — Claire Danes

It's been a huge joy, this experience of being a mom ... I don't know how to articulate it yet, because it is so fresh. — Claire Danes

Voice over can be tricky. It can be dangerous because it's over-used or inappropriately used. — Claire Danes

I became very successful at a young age ... I had lots of opportunities and lots of power and had no idea how to focus it. — Claire Danes

Actors want to surprise themselves. When it's really good, you kind of transcend yourself, and that happens infrequently. Very, very rarely. — Claire Danes

When I was 18 I went to college for two years and didn't work for a year which was essential for me, because my identity had been so influenced by my being an actor and I think I just needed to discover what it was to be myself, divorced from all that responsibility. — Claire Danes

Once you get over that peak of puberty, you hit a nice stride. — Claire Danes

Every time I make a movie, I'm prepared for it to become influential and career-defining - but I have no control over these things. — Claire Danes

Anybody who knows how to make a good movie, knows that it's a collaborative undertaking. To deny that its really dangerous. — Claire Danes

If I hadn't been an actress, I was thinking seriously about going into psychology. It's just really what I'm interested in: the human psyche and how we process information. — Claire Danes

People confuse fame with validation or love. But fame is not the reward. The reward is getting fulfillment out of doing the thing you love. — Claire Danes

I was a very confident child. I knew I wanted to be an actress from the age of 5. — Claire Danes

Most people assume that autistic people are not capable of empathy. — Claire Danes

I do know how to fire a machine gun, so be warned! I'm trained! — Claire Danes

I have this home in New York, I have a long-term relationship with my boyfriend, who's from Australia, and I had this business that I had maintain. Even though I wasn't actively shooting, there's a lot of peripheral work. — Claire Danes

In New York City, everybody goes into therapy. — Claire Danes

It's funny with jeans now, because if they don't feel like a pair of sweatpants, I don't have patience for them anymore! I think I'm becoming increasingly lazy. — Claire Danes

I have to say that my dad's face is very malleable. He's barely got any cartilage in his face. I think I maybe inherited that Play-Doh-like physicality from him. — Claire Danes

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. — Claire Danes

Relationships are a constant negotiation and balance. — Claire Danes

I love sitting in the makeup trailer and getting my makeup done in 15 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half. — Claire Danes

When somebody's ego is in service of really brilliant, innovative work, it's hard to, cause I'm such an asshole, it's hard to criticize their failures as a human sometimes. — Claire Danes

I would not say that secret-keeping is one of my finer skills, actually. — Claire Danes

I used to talk about my personal life all the time. It's the most fun thing to talk about, the people in my life are hurt. — Claire Danes

Autism does exist on a spectrum, and there are so many manifestations of it, so many kinds of expressions of it. And every case is particular. — Claire Danes

Hatred can become like food, it gives you this energy that you can, like, live off ... — Claire Danes

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

It's very difficult to judge yourself. Extreme self-doubt is only attractive when it's fictionalized. Which is why people love the movies. They are so reassuring. — Claire Danes

I don't want to be coy. It's so important for me to be as genuine as possible, so I don't want to stop when it comes to rendering sex the way that most people have it, which is unclothed. — Claire Danes

I really liked Yale, although it was extremely intimidating. When I visited the campus, I was hiding behind trees, I felt so unworthy. — Claire Danes

It just seems like, you agree to have a certain personality or something. For no reason. Just to make things easier for everyone. But when you think about it, I mean, how do you know it's even you? — Claire Danes

In a way, that's really reassuring. I'm not just a very limited person to not have figured it out at this point. But it's also intimidating. Well, how long is it going to take before you can have a good time? — Claire Danes

I am not a genius. But I am nerdy. — Claire Danes

I took three years off. I differentiated myself from the industry. Found my identity - sort of ... I haven't graduated yet. I'm not legitimately educated yet, but maybe one day. — Claire Danes

Huge events take place on this earth every day. Earthquakes, hurricanes, even glaciers move. So why couldn't he just look at me? — Claire Danes

What I needed was a connection to life that was real and lasting. — Claire Danes

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. — Claire Danes

I played a girl. There's really nothing controversial about her. She's just fine. She has to be fine in order to make Sarah Jessica's character pop, I say I just play a white girl in that movie. — Claire Danes

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. — Claire Danes

I was a pretty nerdy kid. I was pretty nerdy. I'm still kind of nerdy. I have all of the worst qualities of being a nerd - all of the affect and none of the smarts. I'm a useless nerd! That's pretty bad. — Claire Danes

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. — Claire Danes

If you do something that you're not genuinely passionate about, it is a little soul-crushing. Just not worth it. — Claire Danes

I would sign on for projects that were meant to shoot in July, and then they would postponed and they would bleed into the following semester, and then I'd take a semester off, and then the movie would collapse. — Claire Danes

You don't realize how useful a therapist is until you see yourself on e and discover you have more problems than you ever dreamed of. — Claire Danes

However, I'm at a very comfortable place in my career and celebrity, in that I don't have to audition as extensively as I used to for roles but yet I'm not immediately recognizable. — Claire Danes

When I was a kid, I was one of those really obnoxious 'oooh oooh' girls, with my hand up in the air constantly. I've learned over the years that that's not so attractive, so I've censored that. — Claire Danes

The first time I realised I was patriotic was after September 11th. — Claire Danes

I used to have nightmares when I was a little kid that I woke up prematurely and opened all the Christmas presents. And then I would be so relieved when I woke up and I realized that I hadn't done it. — Claire Danes

I can get a dance party started pretty much anywhere and anytime. — Claire Danes

Television lets audiences deeply connect with characters. — Claire Danes

My go-to gifts are scarves from my friend Matin Maulawizada's nonprofit organization, Afghan Hands, which supports disenfranchised women in Afghanistan. In exchange for their beautiful embroidery, the women are given financial aid and classes in math and literacy. The scarves are all stunning and one of a kind. — Claire Danes

Growing up in New York with artist parents - a very liberal environment, where we were always encouraged to challenge the status quo - I think for a long time I confused jingoism with patriotism. And that is a mistake. — Claire Danes

Acting is a humiliating job, from start to finish. — Claire Danes

I'm exceptionally open with my own parents, and they're exceptionally open with me. — Claire Danes

I care about being formally physically attractive in my life, and I think that I am quite vain about my performance. I'm just not vain about how I look while I give the performance. — Claire Danes

I'm just a big old nerd. — Claire Danes

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. — Claire Danes

Growing up in New York City, I was always encouraged to question authority, and I think I confused patriotism with jingoism. — Claire Danes

Acting is the greatest answer to my loneliness that I have found. — Claire Danes

I don't think I have ever been as inspired by any character that I have played. I was deeply moved by Temple's courage and her resourcefulness.. She is really pioneering in both the world of autism and animal rights. She has encouraged an incredibly positive change in the world. — Claire Danes

I love love and falling in love, but it can get pretty flat real fast. — Claire Danes

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. — Claire Danes

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

My character was kidnapped by the Terminator and I was kidnapped by the Terminator production. — Claire Danes

Psychology and acting are very closely linked. It's just about studying people and how they work. It can be an incredible discipline and exercise. — Claire Danes

Any story is better with a little love in it, right? — Claire Danes

But I don't know if people are meant to be together. You have to have a lot in common, choose well and be really fortunate. It's not like you're sprinkled with fairy dust. You have to believe that love will be there when you need it. — Claire Danes

I don't know any celebrated people that register in a big way who aren't unique. — Claire Danes

Counterterrorism isn't really about the nunchakus, the guns and gadgets. It's about psychology. — Claire Danes

As a young performer, I didn't know that you can have a great time playing someone in terrible crisis. The more you know it's not real, the deeper you can go into it. And the easier it is to let it go when it's done. — Claire Danes

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. — Claire Danes

There's certainly something very uncomfortable about the voyeurism involved in being in the press, being an actor, where people have a seemingly insatiable curiosity about, you. — Claire Danes

I know, it's true. I've played these tortured teenagers. I can't wait to shed that image. — Claire Danes

I finally realized that yeah I did want to be an actor and it wasn't out of habit, but I needed to grow up for myself and then kind of re-enter the industry with a sound understanding of what my sensibilities and my values are as a relatively formed human being. — Claire Danes

I have to expose myself and then accept the judgment that audiences and critics will have. And that's okay. I appreciate the elliptical nature of it. Sometimes people are more in the mood to be nice to me than others, and that's great. — Claire Danes

I like marriage. I feel very secure. It helps when you are in love with the person you are married to. — Claire Danes

I think I would make a lousy stay-at-home mom. It just wouldn't suit me. — Claire Danes

I have this book club, and we don't read one book; we offer up a few suggestions and create a library over time. — Claire Danes

I particularly love Israel. I've had fantastic experiences there. — Claire Danes

I think 'Breaking Bad' is incredible. — Claire Danes

There is real honor in being a total goofball — Claire Danes

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. — Claire Danes

Fame doesn't end loneliness. — Claire Danes

I discovered Orson Welles in college; my freshman English professor screened 'Citizen Kane' for us, and I wound up writing a 20-page term paper on it. — Claire Danes

I have a huge, active imagination, and I think I'm really scared of being alone; because if I'm left to my own devices, I'll just turn into a madwoman. — Claire Danes

I should be so lucky to be a misfit. I aspire to be a misfit. — Claire Danes