Jurnee Smollett Quotes

There have been a few times when I've read a script and it's really cool but the girl character's just kind of pathetic. It's not going to do me any favours just being 'the girl' in a cool movie.

A lot of the scripts I read and the characters I get are 'the girl' in romantic films, and I don't know how comfortable I am, or the world is, with me being that.

I would like to do a nice comedy/drama feature with a good part, but nobody's asked me to do a film. Maybe it's because they don't know what to do with a guy in a dress.

I became interested in educating people in the variety of ways in which women can express their emotion. Which is much easier to do in a large role than in a supporting role to a male protagonist. In general, the women in a supporting role to a male protagonist - cry a lot.

It's nice to know that a studio is willing to put a female in a film without expecting the character to have a love interest.

I get sent a lot of scripts where you're just the mom.

In commercial cinema, roles for heroines are limited to being simple or glamorous. I don't want to fall into an image trap.

So many times, you pick up a script, and you think, 'OK, so she's the sexy one,' or, 'She's the ex-girlfriend.'

I didn't want to do film or commercials or television.

I would recommend going out for more independent films. You can get bigger roles and really work your acting chops and build a reel.

I never played the 'decoration,' I always played the one who suffered. And then I got very lucky in my middle career, when I started playing the hero, which at that point was quite rare for women.

I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play. But I do love British film as well.

There's no need for a female character that does things like a male character; that's not what makes interesting female characters in my view.

I have been reading scripts, going to auditions and looking for the right opportunities.

I feel so comfortable in an acting role, you know, as an actor. Maybe it's because I came into it late. If anything, I've felt frustrated that I can't carry a film because everything since 'District 9' has been supporting roles.

There is this idea that you have to play heroines or women who succeed.

I try to stay consciously away from the roles of the girl who throws herself at the leading man, because I've done it a lot and I want to move on. I ticked that box.

I think male roles are generally much better written. So for actresses, we're always dealing with trying to inject a role with more truth than the writer possibly had in mind.

All the roles I play, I don't see any of my roles in films that they're typically leading men.

You might see some of the movies that I'm in where there are shades of drama or whatever, but for the most part, I don't get offered serious roles.

There's a lot of good roles for men, always, and for very young girls. But for women, not so many.

At first I was always cast as the girlfriend. It was a long time before I got to play characters who were people.

I am like many of the women I have played onscreen.

But there are still only certain film genres where a woman can stand out, be heroic, be the centerpiece.

I go into every film not just wanting to play the hot girl in the movie. It kills me.