107 Quotes by Allison Janney

Growing up, everybody told me I was good. I was playing ping-pong with my father, and he'd say, 'That's a good shot,' but I'd mess up the next one, and I'd yell, 'Don't tell me that! I'll mess up! Just don't say anything!' You know, if someone says, 'You can't do that,' then I'm going to be, 'Yeah, you watch me.'

I know there are a lot of tall, beautiful actresses like Uma Thurman and Nicole Kidman who are my height, but they're still half the size of me!

I did Alan Ball's 'Five Women Wearing the Same Dress,' and then he put me in 'American Beauty.' Everything started to happen from all the years I put into the theater in New York City, and working, and having great parents who supported me through that.

I never think of a project as just being comedy or just being drama - even with 'Masters of Sex.' I like being sort of messy, like life is.

I'm actually a pretty shy person in real life with new people.

The loss of my brother was a huge moment, a life-changer for me.

Politics scared the crap out of me because I didn't grow up in a family where we talked about anything, really, except, 'Pass the peas, and do this.'... We didn't really have political discussions at the dinner table. I didn't learn how to watch or listen to politics.

I felt like my career started late, and I think it was because of my height - and maybe some of my confidence issues.

I was playing 40-year-old women when I was 20. I didn't get considered for ingenue roles.