Leslie Quotes

(on actress/dancer Leslie Caron) A ballet dancer really, but technically good. I called her the sergeant major.

(on Leslie Howard) Leslie Howard was a darling flirt. He`d be caressing your eyes and have his hand on someone else`s leg at the same time. He was adorable. He was a little devil and just wanted his hands on every woman around. He just loved ladies.

She owns some of Hollywood`s stars` most priceless possessions (Louis Armstrong`s bongo drums among others). She also has a collection of vintage Hollywood costumes, including Russ Tamblyn`s jacket from West Side Story (1961), Leslie Caron`s dress from An American in Paris (1951), Claudette Colbert`s gown from It Happened One Night (1934), Olivia de Havilland`s blouse from Gone with the Wind (1939), and Sandra Dee`s bikini from the "Tammy movies".

They want people they can push around. I was the girl who was always asking, "Why? Yeah, I know you want me to do that - but why?" I always thought people wanted to hear my opinions. (Grins) But I gave them anyway. It`s just blind self-confidence. I get like a little terrier about things. My mother says I should have been an attorney. (On asserting herself, even with her employers.) (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennetts)

I`m wary of what goal I set, because then I`ll have to accomplish it. (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennetts)

Since when is self-improvement a negative? Why wouldn`t I be interested in psychology? I like to read a lot of psychology books. I`m obsessed with child behavior; I would love to be a child psychologist. (On being criticized after admitting she and then-husband Ryan Phillippe have gone to couples therapy.) (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennetts)

Even now, people want to marginalize me. They want to attribute all my success to teenagers seeing my movies. I really resent it when people say, "It`s just a genre film; it`s a teen comedy." It takes a lot of work to make these things have heart and resonance so they`re not just empty, disposable confections. But I don`t give a damn about other people`s perceptions, because I`ll show them. For women in this business, ascendancy is always a battle. It`s scrape and claw. I just try to stick to my guns and respect myself. I want to take the ingenues aside and say, "Value yourself! It`s O.K. if you have opinions!" (On struggling to be taken seriously in the industry.) (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennetts)

I like work. If it`s not hard enough, I try to make it harder. I like the process of being daunted by it, tackling it, and knowing I can do it. (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennetts)

It`s one of those endless competitions, but it`s like running a race toward nothing. "There`s no winning. You`re never going to win the thin race. You`re never going to win the pretty race. You`re never going to win the smart race. You`re never going to win the funny race. I just want to be the best version of myself I can be. (About the harsh standards placed on women by Hollywood.) (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennetts)

I`ve learned the art of ignoring people. When people give you some piece of direction you don`t like, you just nod and ignore it. Just don`t do it! Most people want to be heard and acknowledged, anyway. Just do what you want to do. (On how she handles people who disagree with her.) (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennetts)

It has always been a massive dream to win gold like this. It is so bizarre to think I have one more than my mother, but it is even better to have a team gold. It has been an honour and a privilege to ride with Jeanette Brakewell (Over To You), William and Leslie Law (Shear l`Eau).

I admire people like Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Spencer Tracy, who seem to be so very real-I don`t know how they do it. When I was young I admired Leslie Howard enormously, in films like The Scarlet Pimpernel, Gone With the Wind, and Pygmalion. Also Gary Cooper; perhaps he was not a great actor, but he had a great presence.

Hero (2002) was the first time I had ever worked on a mainland Chinese production. It was great to work with such a good cast that included Maggie, Jet Li, Chen Daoming, and Zhang Ziyi. I was particularly excited to work with Yimou, a director whose work I have always admired. When I first heard the story, I thought of Kurosawa`s Rashomon (1950). At that time, Yimou gave me a choice of playing the narrator, like Leslie Cheung did in Ashes of Time (1994). In the end, I did what Yimou wanted and played Broken Sword, who is the lover of Flying Snow, played by Maggie. Because I have a baby face, I was quite concerned about my looks in this film because I was to play a martial arts hero. I did not want to look unconvincing. I spent a lot of time working with Emi Wada, who designed all the film`s costumes, on the look of my character, as the wardrobe was very important to play this heroic figure living in ancient China.(On working with Zhang Yimou in the movie, Hero)

Don may yawn at the idea, which he often does, but the great thing about Don, he has confidence in me and Mike and Ed and Leslie and Steve, that we`re not going go out and do stories that will put people to sleep.

I went in with Jack and Leslie, into this room that was lined with brick, and there on the side I can remember very clearly was this small model with plates for the bases - the original model with everything screwed together.

Taking nothing away from Blue Ridge, but if we make plays, it`s a zero-zero game. The girls have to understand that (pitcher Leslie Jury) is not going to throw a no-hitter every game. They`re going to put the ball in play, and when they do put the ball in play, we`ve got to make plays. But it`s still early in the season. We`ll be okay.