Vera Farmiga Quotes

Honestly, I think a good film is spiritual, regardless of whether its subject is faith.

The biggest research of all when I do a character is self-examination. You look at yourself and you ask, ‘How am I similar to this person and how am I different?’

The Ukrainian community is tight-knit by nature.

I’ve played a lot of mothers in my movies.

It’s a very different thing, religion and faith. Religion is man-made, it’s man-regulated. And faith, you can define God as you wish. But I think they’re two different things.

I hate being manipulated by song. Don’t tell me what I should be feeling. I don’t want cellos or violins to be telling me that I should be bawling right now.

I love to be surprised.

I’m just someone who marvels at God.

Editing yourself is like an irksome coin toss. You’ve got to strip yourself of super ego and operate from the id. Maybe I’ve got my Freud mixed up. It’s just hard to trade a beauty shot for the performance with truth and a brightly lit zit.

You don’t necessarily have to be religious to pray.

My only real advice to Oscar nominees is, ‘If you haven’t actually seen a competitor’s film, don’t fib and say you have and blow smoke up their wahooziewhatsits.’ Always best to be frank and tell them the truth.

The more people know about you, the more face-time you get in the media, the harder your job becomes to create a character in whom people suspend disbelief.

I don’t have a caustic sense of humor. What I find funny, that humor comes from a much gentler place.

I’m saying that the depth of exploration of the male psyche and the female psyche is uneven. I see further, deeper renderings of what it means to be a man.

I was a Ukrainian folk dancer in my teens, and I toured the country in 1991, shortly before the break-up of the Soviet Union.

I think God gave us senses of humor, and we should use them.

I am drawn to intimate, often uncomfortable portraits of a woman persevering and awakening.

You ought to have a perspective when you’re making a film.

I just hate one-dimensional portrayals of religion; it’s too cheap and easy to do, and ignores the nuances that go into having a belief system.

Editing is not a part of the filmmaking process I’ve ever been privy to as an actress.

Doubt is the middle position between knowledge and ignorance. It encompasses cynicism but also genuine questioning.

Am I ambitious? I used to be afraid of that word but now I think ambition is a good thing.

Whether you’re making a million dollar film or a $100 million film there is never enough money, there’s never enough time.

I’ve always believed that if you are precise in your thoughts, it’s not the lines you say that are important – it’s what exists between the lines. What I’m compelled by most is that transparency of thought, what is left unspoken.

I come from a massive family, and the youngest is twentysomething years younger than I am, so I grew up with children.

Sometimes I attract roles that are necessary either for personal growth or enlightenment.

Normally, I rely heavily on my director to massage me out of my actor comfort zones.

Do I pray? Yes. Prayer is very important to me.

I’ve never felt the breath of God – you can take that statement literally or metaphorically – more than when I was yearning for a personal, intimate connection to something bigger than me.

You don’t have to be gay to be attracted to your friend.

There really are three types of ‘religious’ movies: the ones that make fun of it, the ones that vilify it and the ones that literally preach to the converted.

I can’t get my knickers in a twist about my age and ageing in an industry that caters to the ids of 14-year-olds.

As an actor, you’re sort of the court-appointed lawyer for the character.

There are women who make things better, there are women who change things, there are women who make things happen, who make a difference. I want to be one of those women.

I’ve never graced the cover of a fashion magazine.

There’s no wrong way to experience a film.

My father instilled in me – of utmost importance and innate in me is the yearning to determine for myself – to define God, to define holiness for myself.

Ruminants are a perfectly normal thing to possess when you live in upstate New York. It’s just moving scenery. It’s kind of like the equivalent of Great Danes. It’s the way you keep your grass mowed. It’s the way you keep your weed-whacking to a minimum.

I’m part wood nymph. I require mountains and warm, dense patches of moss to thrive.

Someone once told me that religion is like a knife: You can stab someone with it, or you can slice bread with it.

I think maybe I was a shepherdess in a past life.

I think I always try to be accommodating and open and available and proving for my director. I love to give as many takes as they want. I love to give them as many choices as they want.

I chase after inspiring stories.

Offers come all the time, but I’m pretty particular. I really have to be wowed by a character I encounter in a script, or a storyline. I really do need to feel inspiration, otherwise I’m just happy planting perennials and making goat cheese.

There are some times when I think acting can be a noble profession. And when those rare roles come along, like ‘Down to the Bone,’ you have the opportunity to be of service.