KRISTIN BAUER VAN STRATEN

I can watch endless humans get killed, but if I see a movie and they kill a dog, I practically want to walk out.

Fans are afraid to meet me. They're sort of afraid for their lives and won't look me in the eye.

My personal style is really comfy: flats, tennis shoes, ponytails, no makeup.

One of my main techniques for acting is I try to know almost nothing beyond the words that I have to say, because that's my zone of control.

My acting teacher used to say that people reveal themselves in their opposites.

Unless you're a serial killer, you're worried about being liked by somebody.

I paint. I love the visual arts.

I, personally, like to get dressed and then do my makeup and hair in about five minutes.

People can do all kinds of things that maybe aren't wise in hindsight because of jealousy.

So much of our lives are defined by habit or what the guy next to us is doing, never wondering and knowing who and what we support with our actions, from the detergent Mom always used, to my favorite dish I make... A lot of my life is unexamined habit.

The movies and TV shows I like to watch tend to put their characters in situations where they have to dig deeper.

One lesson I got from Gandhi, 'Be the change you want to see,' haunts me. I just feel like I can't keep stomping around pointing the finger at BP when I am supporting the oil industry with my very own dollars and actions by buying their products, helping to pay their mortgage - plastic is from oil... polyester, shower curtains.

I am no longer able to be anonymous.

Sometimes I'll read an audition and I'll get a very strong first impression about who the person is, and I usually go with it.

I went to school for fine art. I'm a decent housepainter, but I'm a really good fine art painter.

I have discovered that I cannot ignore the infliction of suffering - especially for my convenience or pleasure! It's as if a puppy is being kicked in front of me. I must try to do something.

Anytime you walk onto a stage or something where there's lots of people staring at you, you need to have something inspiring inside your head. Bolstering.

My best source of grounding are animals and nature. Animals live more in the moment and don't worry so much! And nature is proof of a greater power than myself. Both put things in perspective, or at least gently move us forward.

The one thing I've come to figure out is this equation where the more uncomfortable I am, the better I'm going to look. I'm like, "This one really hurts. I must look awesome!" The corsets are uncomfortable, but they are so flattering. No, my waist will never be that small.

When I turn on my central air conditioner, I feel like, "Wow, I really have come a long way." Or buying the super expensive organic raw food for my dogs, and I remember when I had to buy the cheapest big bag of kibble. So I think for me it's often in terms of comfort.

I was collecting Barbies. I know... embarrassing. I sold them all on eBay, and traded them for vintage dishes. So I've collected two things.

I am either blessed or cursed with having little barrier between feeling emotions and displaying them for all to see. My heart is on my sleeve. It's not comfortable but... I am an artist so it's useful and my friends are used to me getting teary at any moment.

I have more things going on right now than I can actually do without the invention of a cloning device. It is great!

I've heard stories about me as a kid. My dad got me a T-shirt that said "here comes trouble," and when I ask my mom what I was like, she just sighs with this weary tone and says, "Oh, you were really busy."

I would give a lot to actually be able to glamour China into not wanting ivory. I can't even tell you how much I would give to be able to stop the illicit trade of Africa's wildlife, and to just look into the president of China's eyes and say, "You don't want this anymore, your country doesn't want this anymore," and have it be done. That would be great.