Allison Janney Quotes

One out of forty American men wears women's clothing. We've had more than forty presidents. One of these guys has been dancing around the Oval Office in a prom dress.

Don’t ever underestimate the power of mentoring someone, or helping some young actor, doing a favor for them, or introducing - everyone needs somebody to help them along when they’re first starting out.

Someone said I wasn't attractive enough. People say those things, but they make you stronger. Then you can win an Emmy and think, ha, ha, ha.

One of the advantages of being an older woman in films,is that you don't care as much about so many things. There are women in history throughout the world that need to be portrayed. Women don't stop being interesting at 20, they get more interesting and more fascinating and people are going to have to write about them. We're undeniable.

One of the things I love about acting is other actors, looking into their eyes, and working off them, and listening and responding to them.

I love wasting time and learning to lip-sync to songs; it's a silly hobby of mine.

I think one of my big skills is making unlikable characters likable or real in some way. No matter how hateful people are, there's always something vulnerable about them, or something that you can understand or relate to. I think that's my job as an actress - to find those.

I never stop. I don't want to stop acting because I'm afraid it'll all end, so I never say no.

I didn't understand the reasons why I was there in the Lost episode - the mysteries of the island. I just instead made my own little reality, made it as simple as possible. I figured I was a crazy woman, just a little screw loose. I don't know how I got on that island. No one could tell me how I got there either, so I just assumed I got there on a shipwreck, and I went a little nutty.

It is a very difficult job, being the servant of two masters.

It's a challenge for me to make people like me. Maybe it's just my desperate need for people to like me, that I choose the characters I have to play. You will like me, I don't care what I've done, you're going to like me.

If I could stomach the awful part of being a veterinarian, which involves sticking your hand up animals' behinds, I would be a vet.

I'm not very comfortable being an actorvist so to get to do something that I believe in is a much more comfortable way for me to be political.

I always feel like a doctor who loses a patient on the operating table or something where I felt just devastated and I beat myself up until I get to try it the next night and “I'll get it better tonight.” So I'm hard on myself. I think I'm not alone in that regard with acting.

I trust other people to tell me if it's too far or tasteless, because there's not too much that I won't do. I like to push the limits. Obviously, that's more dangerous and more fun for everybody.

I'm the worst speller on the planet. I'm so glad for spellcheck on my phone.

Aaron Sorkin wrote me one of the best female roles on television, I think. He's a wonderful writer for all people. If he chooses to write, hopefully he'll write something that involves more women next time, because I would love to do it.

It was terrifying when Aaron Sorkin announced that he was leaving West Wing, he and Tommy Schlamme. We felt like our parents were abandoning us. It was a tremendously sad day and I'm sure I will never understand exactly all the reasons why that happened.

I like people trying to do two things at once.

I can access emotions very easily.

It's a great way to start the day, hearing you've been nominated for an Emmy. It's just thrilling.

I do like ensemble work. I would like to do a lead role, though. I didn't shy away from that. I'm desperately looking for a lead role to do in a film, an independent film, and it just hasn't come my way yet. I'm desperately looking for that role that will put me in a lead category. Or a television series.

I'm afraid of flying.

I love working on the fly when the writers come up with new jokes on show nights. It's exciting. I love it so much.

I am lucky enough to have Aaron Sorkin write what I have to say.