Lucy Liu Quotes

I grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, with no money. I was taught not to take anything for granted. If you are too busy being a diva or a freak, then you are not enjoying it.

Everything I buy is vintage and smells funny. Maybe that`s why I don`t have a boyfriend.

(about "Ally McBeal" (1997)) It`s so much fun playing her (Ling), but I have this fear that people are going to run away from me in terror on the streets. They think I`m going to bite their heads off or something.

Martial arts are art forms and require a great deal of discipline and dedication. I so admire people who focus their lives on it, because it`s not an easy thing to do.

Producing is like pushing jello up a hill on a hot day.

It`s really taking a while but I do think it`s becoming more acceptable to cast Asians in roles that weren`t originally slated for someone who is Asian, which is so great.

Women like to watch women fight because it makes them feel sort of empowered physically and mentally. They feel kind of jazzed and excited by it.

You can`t look back; you have to keep looking forward.

People don`t think the public is smart enough to understand that this is America and that there`s all kinds of people out there.

I`m so proud of my heritage, but yes, I think there`s always a danger when people put you on a pedestal. Especially when you`re just trying to live your life and pursue your dreams. The intention is not to represent Asian Americans, but to be an Asian American who is working as an actress. People often confuse the two. When you are "representing," you have the burden of some people projecting their hopes onto you. This can eventually lead to a certain amount of disappointment. I strive to not deny myself experiences that open up to me. I hope to live without looking back in regret. If people want to join me on the ride, then I`m happy to have them along.

Since we didn`t use guns, we wanted to make sure we could earn the ability to win the audience over by making it believable. A lot of what you do when you work out in that mode is use your mental energy.

I`ve never really thought about competing with cartoons. If it ever gets to that point, then just shoot me.

I try to distinguish my characters from each other.

People use location as a language in films, and Quentin uses action as a language in his films. There`s really not a lot of violence. It`s more of an emotional beat than it is a physical beat.

You have to hope that you don`t have to wear a mask and you don`t have to put prosthetics on your face to make yourself look believable.

It`s like kill or be killed, that`s my thing basically.

My freckles are always there. I think the lighting blows it out. If we had to cover up the freckles, I`d be forever with a thick thing of makeup.

You have to look out for becoming trapped in a place where people want to see you all the time doing one thing.

You respect all of these people that you know in the business as actors. And they sort of turn around and say, we really like your work. It`s a nice acknowledgment.

They were concerned about the racial issue. They thought it was not a safe issue to go Asian, unfortunately.

Working on the Samurai sword is very different because your body position has to be very still. It`s a much quieter was of fighting.

Once you embody the language, the character comes really naturally, especially when you put the costume on.

Being Asian in this business is something you have to consider, because sometimes people aren`t as open. They`ll say, I can`t see you with a Caucasian person.

Women who wear kimonos, when the fight, they have to keep their knees together, and when they use a sword, they have to move the sleeves otherwise it gets caught.

If you see the Sopranos, you`re not going to be speaking in the Shakespearean English.

I think you just have to appreciate who you are and hopefully they can see what a superhero is about.

When you work with chains or any kind of weapons, or just when you`re using hand-to-hand combat, you are going to get hurt.

The neck is kind of what`s sexy in Japan, so you have to have the kimono a little bit back. It was just a whole different way of appealing to what was sexy.

Men, when they fight in movies, it`s a very different style. Harrison Ford was so cool when he had the whip, and Bruce Lee was such an artist that you couldn`t take your eyes off of him.

Nobody really tells me what`s going on, and I find out via the trades myself.

It`s so much fun playing Ling, but I have this fear that people are going to run away from me in terror on the streets. They think I`m going to bite their heads off or something.

Japanimation is a whole different art form.

I always admired Wonder Woman and the Incredible Hulk - but I don`t know if I`d be a very convincing hulk.

I`ve definitely become much more aware of physical stunts.