It’s exciting and not even something I ever imagined, but it seems like a green light for me to proceed and achieve bigger things in my career

I know it might sound woo-woo, but every role offers something for me to learn, I don’t know what the lesson is, but once I start to live it, it will become evident.

As an actor I want to play as many different characters as possible. Throughout my career I’ve had the great opportunity to do just that and I love every second of it. Every new role is challenging and a learning experience. Some experiences have been less smooth than others, but overall there is never a dull moment and that’s what life is all about to me.

I want to do roles that are fun and challenging and I want to try different things. I don't want to keep doing Monster's Ball over and over and over again. I want to keep doing my career the way that I was doing it before I won the Oscar.

My career has evolved at its own peculiar pace, American careers are supposed to have a much more singular direction than I've been able to... stomach. Really. In most careers you find something you do well and you tie an increasingly larger bow on the package. My interests and obsessions have always been so wide-ranging that I keep popping my head out of different boxes as much as possible.That's far more interesting for me.

The thing I have been most grateful for in the roles I have had the pleasure of tackling is their diversity. As I grow older, my life is opening me up to all kinds of roles in different genres, giving me the opportunity to keep growing

"I pay attention to what’s going on around me. I’m always looking for new energy, new talent, new voices. When you do that I think it’s easier to come up with fresh ideas. It's not that my career has been based on surprising people, but it’s been about challenging myself — to constantly do new things that are going to broaden my own mind and in the process, hopefully, connect with other people."

I want to try new creative things and find refreshing stories. That's how I've come to choose the roles that I've done.

Everything in your career is a stepping stone because it’s an experience, and experience is the biggest thing.

I like taking risks and I decided to put every bit of me into the role.

I’m constantly striving for the next thing, the next victory, the next landmark in my career. I suppose it’s one of the best assets, but it also means I’m never truly satisfied with what I have or what I have just achieved.

This job, I’m doing it for life so at every stage I am in my professional career as an actor, I want to look the path that I want to play so I continue to work on myself and work on my craft.

I like to try new things. I like to go new places and I like to work with new people. That’s sort of the definition of my job. As an actor, you just go where the work is, right.

My path as an actress has branched out many times; there are so many new possibilities. My experiences as an actress and as a person, and my confidence in who I am, are increasingly creating new opportunities. And new chapters in my story