Marcia Gay Harden

"It was really a good way to audition, because it’s more of what I think the experience of auditioning should be, which is more exploratory, not a presentation. You’re in the room with the director, so you may as well work, and he may as well direct you. That’s what we did."

"Usually the actor learns them during the day. But as an actress, I have never had a sigh of consternation when I get something complicated. You know how it is when you feel used in a good way."

"If someone doesn’t hand it to you, you start barking order like you’re a real doctor. It’s good because you get in the moment, but if you think about it, the pressure to do a good job no matter what your job is is enormous. Pressure is pressure, and it increases when it’s pressure to make sure someone doesn’t die."

"That’s where the blur occurs, and it’s a wonderful blur, being an actor. A scene in the lounge, a scene in the hallway, a scene where you’re just talking is always a really great place to go to. It’s like the ribbon after running a race."

"Being aware of what the signs are and courageously choosing to get a diagnosis can either bring you relief you don't have it or it can give you opportunity and the gift of time."

"I want my audience to relate to the moments when we’re not the hero — when we think we’re cowards. I think that’s what audiences relate about in me. I’m the toughest person on myself ever."

"Alzheimer’s is a thief, a cowardly thief because it sneaks in and steals your mind. With my mother, it was literally a realization that it could happen to anybody. She was the poster child of what to do not to get Alzheimer’s. She never drank, never smoked, ate well, exercised, was mentally active."

"As for being a single mom, there’s a lot to be said about being single. It’s really wonderful. I do have a hard time making time for other people because I’m lucky that I love my work and also love going home and making jam with my kids."

"In the early 1980s, fresh out of college with a major in theater, my plan was to work odd jobs and audition in Washington."

"I’ve never seen a television show that was going to cover this kind of thing and it was this scary, exciting time of exploration and battle."

"We’ve just gotten all really crafty. I got into making soaps, my son made a dress, my daughter made a skirt. We’re baking. We’re Harry Potter addicts so we’re building lego things. We’re just doing whatever we can to stay creative and stay busy."

"She’s incredible. Her talent and her body of work is incredible. She’s one of the most incredibly generous people I’ve ever met in everyday life."