Claire Danes

I would not say that secret-keeping is one of my finer skills, actually. ”

Most people assume that autistic people are not capable of empathy. ”

When you really get it right in acting, it's an act of empathy. You feel less distant from others, and that is really exciting. ”

I finally realized that yeah I did want to be an actor and it wasn't out of habit, but I needed to grow up for myself and then kind of re-enter the industry with a sound understanding of what my sensibilities and my values are as a relatively formed human being. ”

College was just so essential for my sense of self and my development. ”

By the time I went to Yale, I'd been acting for a long time and I was really tired of it. I was restless - and a little bored - and I was really eager to investigate different parts of myself. ”

The twenties are a deceptively challenging-slash-painful time. I'm just glad to be out of that phase. ”

As a young performer, I didn't know that you can have a great time playing someone in terrible crisis. The more you know it's not real, the deeper you can go into it. And the easier it is to let it go when it's done. ”

I was a very confident child. I knew I wanted to be an actress from the age of 5. ”

I was very driven to act from a very young age, and my parents were not only tolerant of that drive but also encouraging. ”