'Normal Heart' was my most transcendent moment as an actor. Ellen Barkin More Quotes by Ellen Barkin More Quotes From Ellen Barkin Acting is a matter of giving away secrets. Ellen Barkin keeping-secrets giving art Men who love their mothers treat women wonderfully. And they have enormous respect for women. Ellen Barkin treats mother men I eat cheese and salami and a lot of fried chicken. I eat a big bag of oatmeal-raisin cookies every night and I don't gain weight. I still look OK as long as I'm dressed. Ellen Barkin oatmeal night long I have no problem being 53. Why would I want to be 35 again? I want to discover who I am in my 50s. And if I tried too hard to look younger, it would seem that I was uncomfortable with who I am, wouldn't it? Ellen Barkin who-i-am want looks I studied acting for 10 years before I went for an audition. I studied with Lee Strasberg and Actors Studio teachers, and went to the High School of Performing Arts. Ellen Barkin teacher art school When a 12-year-old, a 13-year-old, so desperately wants a baby what she's looking for is the kind of unconditional love a child gives a mother and a mother gives a child. Ellen Barkin mother baby children It is clear I was never the Pretty Girl. I had my two front teeth knocked out when I was 10 and didn't fix them until I was 19. I have a crooked smile and a nose that looks like it's been broken 12 times but never has been. My nose was always red, so people called me Rudolph. My whole face is off-center. Ellen Barkin smile girl two The more powerful you become, some people especially don't like it that you're a woman. I stick up for myself. Ellen Barkin powerful sticks people There is a certain androgyny to my appeal. Ellen Barkin androgyny appeals certain It's no stretch to picture me standing next to Al Pacino or Robert De Niro. Those are ethnic New York men. I'm an ethnic New York girl. Everybody has their limitations. I mean, I should never be cast as Queen Elizabeth. Ellen Barkin queens girl new-york No more bare bodies in film scenes for me. For my children's sake, I must stop. The other kids at school keep throwing it up to my children, and they are not kind. Ellen Barkin kids children school My nickname was Skinabo - skin and bones. Ellen Barkin skin-and-bones nicknames skins People tend to remember my performances, not me. Ellen Barkin performances remember people A successful marriage isn't necessarily one that lasts until you're dead. Ellen Barkin successful-marriage lasts successful But one of the hardest things for me to do was to access anger. I could do it on stage. But when I did it on film it was hard for me. That probably has to do with the intimacy of film. And my own personal issues with expressing anger. So I had to learn how to do that. Ellen Barkin intimacy issues film Gabriel Byrne is an extraordinary human being. We have two extraordinary kids and we work at it. We were always friends. He stuck by me through very hard times, and I hope he'd say the same about me. Ellen Barkin hard-times two kids You can't go back again, even if you wanted to. But you can own your own life, mistakes and all. Ellen Barkin back-again mistake wanted I guess I worry about weird existential things, like how do we spend our final act. This is a very emotional question. I can't answer it without crying. I think, You're 56 years old, what did you do? You raised two good kids. What am I going to do now that is as meaningful as that? I don't know the answer yet. Ellen Barkin emotional meaningful kids I'm just curious, who's more fit to raise a child? A loving committed same-sex couple or an unmarried 15-year-old with no income and really no skills to parent? Ellen Barkin couple children sex I’m tenacious, I think – I know – and I do also have a quality where if you tell me I can’t do something, if I know I can’t do it I’m the first to raise my hand and say, “I can’t do that.” But there is a big Bronx, New York Jew in me that just says, “Really? Really? You think I – yes, I can. I can do it. I can do it. Ellen Barkin new-york hands thinking
