Quote

Getting all dressed up and putting on fancy clothes - all of that's a great thing, but oddly, it doesn't really have a lot to do with acting most of the time.

It helps with your acting when you're not in a perfect costume, perfect wardrobe, a perfectly seamed blouse, perfectly ironed hair, and perfectly done eyeshadow. It's really liberating.

And costume is so important for an actor. It absolutely helps to get into character; it's the closest thing to you, it touches you. Some actors like to go into make-up and then put their clothes on, but I like to dress first; that's my routine.

Acting can be a really silly thing. It's like playing dress-up.

When you're acting, it's a fantasy already; maybe it's the costumes - I love it. It's so fun.

Costume is a huge part of getting into character. Your body soaks in what you're wearing, and you turn into someone else.

I don't like getting dressed up. It's hard because as a woman, as an actor, the whole world wants you to enjoy dressing up.

In the beginning, when you're acting in amateur theater and off-Broadway, it was unheard of that anyone else would get your costume. And it was important to get a good costume. You put time into that.

I've done a few costume dramas, and people say, 'What was it like wearing the costumes? Did they really help you with your character?,' and most of the time it doesn't make any difference. You're wearing something a bit weird, and it's sort of uncomfortable, but it doesn't really have a huge impact on the part that you're playing.

One of my favourite parts of acting is the clothes that you get to wear, because it's very important.