“I tried to find a character and how I would be an American actress in the 30s. But if this was a talking movie [The Artist], I’m sure she would be exactly the same for me.”

Ever since the movie premiered at Cannes, I’ve had a sudden surge of scripts and interest.

Sometimes we had to improvise. I hate to improvise because I felt like I couldn’t find words.

I feel very honored and special really. You can’t imagine, to arrive at the Oscars when you arrive so low, and you can’t go further than the Oscars.

Right now I’m the most famous silent movie actress in the world and I want to keep that for me. So I hope there’s not going to be any other silent movies.

Marlene Dietrich for the way there was something so unique about her – the way she entered into a frame and everybody looks at her and the way she winks and looks up.

I’m okay. Nobody’s bothering me. Everyone’s very kind, and very polite. I don’t feel like my whole life changed.

The difference between the extras here and in France is the French extras read books. Actually, they hide the book and pretend that they’re acting. Here (in Hollywood), you can see everybody wants his break.

My parents were not pushy or anything like that. I think my mom was still expecting me to be an astronaut, but now she is very happy that I’m not doing that.

A character is never entirely white or black, there’s never entirely right or wrong. You have to realize sometimes you face something, and then you change your mind, or then you realize you were wrong.

I spent hours on the internet looking at how glamorous actresses winked and how they would put their hand on their waist, and I was told to look at how they would walk in a room and how her body takes place of everything.

I read Gloria Swanson’s autobiography just because I wanted to know what it was like in the time.

I guess I’m the perfect young lead actress. I’m not Chloe Sevigny – I’m not really a character actress. Some actors have “character” faces.

Even in the very beginning when she would bump into George Valentine and people would start taking pictures of her, she never thought “I’m with George Valentine. I need to get a picture with him.” She’s like “oh that’s funny. Everyone’s taking pictures!”

I really enjoyed being Peppy Miller. She was an amazing character and her energy followed me everywhere. When I talk about her I want to be her again.

Maybe I’ll put my iPod in two minutes before. But truly, I’ve listened to actors say that they loved to listen to music before a shot, and I really understand that now because it puts you in the mood and gives you energy.

Of course, when you work on a character, you try to understand her. You feel that everything she does has a reason.

People with theories of life are, perhaps, the most relentless of their kind, for no time or place is sacred from their devastating elucidations.

Burning logs can carry on quite a conversation!

Have you ever heard apple wood talking? It’s the most loquacious of all. You really can’t get a word in edgeways.

In interviews, on the set, talking to people, I’ll just start talking about my parents’ divorce, and go on and on. My mom’s always like, ‘You don’t have to be that honest.

When you talk about hip-hop, you’re talking about the whole culture and movement. You have to take the whole culture for what it is.

A lot of times, when people say hip-hop, they don’t know what they’re talking about. They just think of the rappers.

I am uncomfortable with talking of poetry as a priestly profession, because I have little use for organized religions and priestly hierarchies. They have demoralized, persecuted, so many, including women, gays, non-believers.

I always left her presence with the sense that she truly knew what she was talking about but that she never felt the need to browbeat you with it,