Since finishing my professional dancing career, I've been conscious of not letting myself go.
Of course I have had a boyfriend. However, I was way too busy while taking care of myself, and I could not show a better care for my boyfriend. I found myself getting more and more egocentric, and I was not a good girlfriend at all.
I don't punish myself. Life's too short.
I used to pre-rehearse everything and then bring my pre-rehearsed performance to the set. Now, I'm learning to let it happen in the moment. American actors are much better at that than British actors. If I knew how to trust myself, I would have been much more relaxed.
I get no satisfaction just showing myself in every corner of the world every week.
When I was working, and when I was making substantial amounts of money, I always filed and paid my taxes. This only stopped, when it was necessary to withdraw from society, in order to guarantee the safety and well-being of myself and my family.
When I went through my eating disorder, I never sought medical assistance. I created myths in my head about how I should get through things, so the idea that I could surround myself with truth and feel comfortable enough to speak mine allowed me to breathe.
I just don't consider myself to be, you know, an American actor. I don't want that life.
I hired a publicist once I got cast in 'Passing Strange,' and one of the first conversations we had was about how I wanted to handle talking about my sexuality. I said, 'It's never been an issue for me. I want to talk about my work, but if something about myself relates to my work, of course I'll talk about it.'
I consider myself a fortunate working actor, but I really work at it all the time. If I have a couple of weeks off, I'm taking class. You never stop. I started when I was 10 years old in Cleveland, and I've never stopped working my butt off.
All I had done for five years was work 18 hours a day all over the world. I needed to step back and distance myself from it.
I didn't mean to spend my life writing American history, which should have been taught in the schools, but I saw no alternative but to taking it on myself. I could think of a lot of cheerier things I'd rather be doing than analyzing George Washington and Aaron Burr. But it came to pass, that was my job, so I did it.
I started teaching myself guitar because I loved singing so much. Then one day kind of out of the blue I found I was writing a song. It just happened organically.
I'm not creating an enigma or leaving mystery, I'm just respecting myself enough as an artist to give myself room to grow and not to be devoured all in one go.
We were living in Denver, Colorado, and I was teaching high school. I asked the kids to write a short story, so I thought I should write some myself.
I'm a big-boned, athletic-looking woman, and I have to make the best of what I've got. I like to stay fit and healthy, but I could probably give myself a break sometimes.
I got my fair share of stick. But I surrounded myself with fabulous girls, and they all loved me because I made them clothes. I remember making them all leopard print tops and tartan skirts for a party we went to once. It's scary to think about it now, actually.
I'm passionate about old people because I am one myself.
I kind of put myself out there as is. I'm a quiet person. I don't know if that's surprising. I'm a Pilates junkie.
The paradox is that I have no love for myself as a human being, but I have immense pride in the music I make, and I believe it has an important place. Others do, too, and the thousands of people with Morrissey tattoos certainly proves something.
I find myself bitter, defensive, and more misanthropic than I care to admit.
Being myself is what got me to where I am.
I love going to movies by myself.
A band asked me to go on tour when I was 22 and asked me to play drums, and I taught myself so I could go on this trip with these people. The drums found me; I didn't find them. When I started playing, I realized how appropriate an instrument it was for me.
I tend to get over-excited and very, very loud. I rein myself in when people flinch and dogs start howling.
I'm an actor, so I think without a character to play, a story to tell, a song to sing... there's some suspicion that there's no 'there' there. Like, if I were to just strip down and present myself, I think I'd sort of just... disappear.
I have always loved to skate, and that is all I wanted to do. Having my whole, entire career taken away from me by somebody else - not losing it myself - I do have blame, but when somebody takes your whole, entire life away from you, and you don't know what to do, it's like you're lost.
I compete against myself in competitions anyway, so I train against myself in practice.
My reading is extremely eclectic. Lately I've been teaching myself computer graphics, so I'm reading a lot about that. I read books of trivia, of facts.
Eventually, I realised that I wanted to try to create something myself, and that's what writing novels is. Not because I wanted to put myself in front of the world, but because I wanted to create something that would go out into the world.
I cut my hair myself and colour it. I know everybody in the hairdressing business despairs of me, but it's so much easier to do it yourself.
I wanted to really ingrain myself in the culture and the people. And I apologize about having an allergy to dairy products that gives me some irritable bowels, but other than that, I mean, I've embraced just about everything else Wisconsin - especially when it comes to sports, but also the people and the interactions with our fans.
When I got dropped for the World Cup, there were times I didn't want to play anymore. I didn't want to practise. I couldn't motivate myself. Then I said, 'Look what are the options?' Cricket is the only option. Whether I play happily or sadly, it's still all I have. There are not a lot of things I am good at.
I don't flatter myself - I'm not a scientist, I'm not a conservation expert.
I think I'm a bit less inhibited, and not thinking too much before speaking. It's not about being shameful, I'm just a bit more unabashedly myself because of this thing, and it probably started at age 15. I can be around people and say what I think without fear.
When I design a garment or a piece of accessory, the first question I ask myself is, 'Would I wear it?'
