For A While, I Thought, Maybe I

For Me To Want To Be An Actor Was An Improbable Idea. I Wasn't Beautiful Or Pretty In Any Conventional Way. I Wasn't An Ingenue At 22. But I Was Always Certain Of It And Certain Of Its Power. I Felt The Power When I Went To The Theater At 9, 10, 12 And 14.

It Really Hit Home That My Parents Felt As Though They Didn't Have To Worry Anymore. They Realized If You Could Win An Oscar, That Was A Good Sign.

When I Was 16, Nobody Else Talked Like Me. Nobody Else Sounded Like Me.

I Was A Very Determined Kid. I Couldn't Imagine Any Other Life For Myself. This Happens To Kids Who Are Different In Any Way. How Am I Going To Make A Life? Who Am I Going To Be When I Grow Up? Will There Be A Place For Me In The World? Acting Gave Me A Sense Of Purpose, But It Also Gave Me A Sense That I Would Survive, That I Would Find My Place.

I Think People Have Always Liked In Me The Combination Of Being The Underdog Because I'm A Tiny Woman But I Have Enormous Authority In Myself.