"Am I a romantic? I've seen 'Wuthering Heights' ten times. I'm a romantic."

"The term 'serious actor' is kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? Like 'Republican party' or 'airplane food.'"

"I like the challenge of trying different things and wondering whether it's going to work or whether I'm going to fall flat on my face."

"France, and the whole of Europe have a great culture and an amazing history. Most important thing though is that people there know how to live! In America they've forgotten all about it. I'm afraid that the American culture is a disaster."

"The dueling maturity levels in high school is such a source of comedy to me. I was always such a late developer. I was last to walk. I was last to ride a bike. I was last to have sex. That's why it's fun to portray one side of your childhood onscreen."

"I don't mind a little Sturm und Drang. When I was doing 'Riding in Cars With Boys,' I wouldn't smile at anybody, because my character, Bev, was angry at the world. I'm the opposite. Inside my head I'd be like, God, I'll explain to you at the end of shooting that I'm not this person."

"If you tell the truth about how you're feeling, it becomes funny."

"My focus is to forget the pain of life. Forget the pain, mock the pain, reduce it. And laugh."