Emily Mortimer Quotes

Powerful Emily Mortimer for Daily Growth

About Emily Mortimer

Emily Mortimer is a prolific British-American actress, screenwriter, and director, renowned for her versatile performances on both stage and screen. Born on December 13, 1971, in London, England, to American parents, Mortimer spent her early years traveling between the United States and the United Kingdom due to her parents' work commitments. Mortimer's passion for acting was ignited at an early age, performing in school plays and attending the Arts Educational Schools in London. Her professional acting career began in the late 1980s, appearing in British television shows such as "The Bill" and "Foyle's War." Her breakout role came in 1996 when she starred opposite Hugh Grant in the romantic comedy "Maurice's Last Stand," which garnered critical acclaim. In the following years, Mortimer established herself as a talented actress with memorable performances in films like "The Portrait of a Lady" (1996), "Rushmore" (1998), and "Lars and the Real Girl" (2007). In addition to her acting career, Emily Mortimer has made significant contributions as a screenwriter. She co-wrote the critically acclaimed film "Happy Go Lucky" (2008) with Mike Leigh, which earned nominations for several prestigious awards. Emily Mortimer's versatility extends to directing as well; she directed the short film "The Cousin" in 2009 and made her feature directorial debut with "Doll & Em" (2014), a semi-autobiographical comedy series that she co-wrote, starred in, and directed. Throughout her career, Emily Mortimer has demonstrated an impressive ability to navigate various roles in the entertainment industry, making her a beloved figure in both the British and American film industries. Her work continues to captivate audiences with its depth, humor, and authenticity.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Everybody has a story. It's how we use those stories that defines us."

This quote emphasizes the idea that everyone has a unique life experience, or "story," which is a product of their individual journey and interactions with the world. The way we choose to interpret, share, and apply these stories ultimately shapes our identity and character. By understanding this, we can empathize more deeply with others, foster connections, and create a more compassionate society where everyone's story matters.


"If you don't ask for what you want, you'll never get it."

This quote highlights the importance of expressing one's desires and needs in life, as remaining silent about them means missing out on opportunities for fulfillment. It encourages individuals to take ownership of their goals and aspirations by actively communicating them, thereby increasing the likelihood of achieving those objectives. Essentially, it underscores that self-advocacy is a powerful tool in shaping one's destiny.


"The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness."

This quote by Emily Mortimer suggests that true contentment lies in understanding and accepting that happiness, while desirable, is not always a constant state of being. It implies that we can find satisfaction and peace even when we are not experiencing traditional definitions of "happiness." Instead, the joy comes from recognizing our own resilience and ability to thrive despite life's ups and downs. This perspective allows us to appreciate the present moment and accept the ebb and flow of emotions as a natural part of life's rich tapestry.


"I think everyone carries a world inside them, and the most interesting people are those who carry libraries."

Emily Mortimer's quote suggests that each individual harbors their own unique experiences, thoughts, knowledge, and emotions, which can be collectively referred to as an "inner world." The most intriguing people, in her perspective, are those who possess vast repositories of ideas, wisdom, and understanding – akin to libraries. This implies that the more one reads, learns, experiences, and reflects upon life, the more interesting they become, as their internal world expands with diverse and enriching knowledge.


"The best thing about being an actress is getting to wear other people's stories like costumes you can take off at the end of the day."

This quote suggests that acting provides Emily Mortimer with the unique opportunity to immerse herself in diverse characters and their narratives, which she compares to wearing different costumes. She enjoys this process because she can fully embrace each role and its story, yet maintain her own identity and detach from it once the day's work is done. Essentially, acting allows Mortimer to step into various personas while retaining the freedom to leave them behind when needed.


I went to dinner with my mother-in-law and I just realized I was talking in sound bites to her and expecting her to laugh every time I said anything or be jotting something down in a notebook. So you have to kind of really have a talk with yourself after you've done a press tour and say, 'Chill out!'

- Emily Mortimer

Chill, Sound, Talking, Bites

I already feel a bit annoyed at myself for writing screenplays. It's a bit, I don't know, model-singer-dancer-actress that went to a posh school. There's something too weirdly predictable about it.

- Emily Mortimer

Myself, Posh, Weirdly, Screenplays

I like to mix it up, yeah. I don't sort of think, 'Oh, I need to do a comedy, I've done three dramas this year.' I don't think of it like that, but I definitely from project to project I feel like I want to just do something different all of the time and stop, I don't want to bore myself or anyone else.

- Emily Mortimer

Project, Year, Feel, Dramas

I've only half-admitted I'm a professional. I know I am, I've paid my dues, but one of the things I could do better when I'm acting is to really be rigorous and to think I know how to do it. To use my brain.

- Emily Mortimer

Use, One Of The Things, Dues

I never felt I was quite the ticket academically. I always felt I had to put in an enormous amount of effort not to be disappointing. So I worked really hard, but at the time it suited me, because I didn't do very much else.

- Emily Mortimer

Very, Had, Academically, Suited

I was determined not to become an American citizen but I did it for completely cynical reasons: to avoid paying inheritance tax in the U.S.

- Emily Mortimer

Citizen, Reasons, Cynical

I did my homework and didn't go out much, and had a very highly developed kitsch fantasy life where I dreamed of being a dancing girl.

- Emily Mortimer

Dancing, Fantasy, Very, Kitsch

My dad had this philosophy that if you tell children they're beautiful and wonderful then they believe it, and they will be. So I never thought I was unattractive. But I was never one of the girls at school who had lots of boyfriends.

- Emily Mortimer

Beauty, Thought, Dad, Unattractive

You are exposing yourself all the time as an actor. There's the risk of being thought of as bad or boring or unattractive.

- Emily Mortimer

Thought, Bad, Being, Unattractive

But I have to grow out of it, because it's very boring, really. Even when you're telling people how crap you are, you're still banging on about yourself.

- Emily Mortimer

Very, Still, Telling, Banging

I think half the time I just assume I don't really know what I'm doing - you have to do that to a certain extent, but you don't have to think you're an idiot savant.

- Emily Mortimer

Doing, Think, Extent, Half The Time

I'm always drawn to the thing I think I can't possibly do, because I tend to be better when I think I can't possibly do something than I am when I'm pretty sure I can do something.

- Emily Mortimer

Think, Pretty, Always, Possibly

In my first few years as an actor, I took one terrible TV job after another. But even as I laughed off my awful roles and made fun of myself to friends, my work made me cringe - I dreaded anyone's seeing it. I was crushed that I wasn't doing anything I was proud of.

- Emily Mortimer

Doing, Another, TV, Cringe

I'm always sort of anticipating life being difficult, but on a basic level, that's sort of on the surface, on a basic level, I'm optimistic in the sense that I think it's all going to be alright in the end.

- Emily Mortimer

Think, Always, I Think, Anticipating

I'm still shy - I'm no good at my children's parent-teacher conferences, and I'm slowly learning how to ask for what I want. But I now know that I have a reserve of courage to draw upon when I really need it. There's nothing that I'm too scared to have a go at.

- Emily Mortimer

Learning, Good, Shy, Conferences

It's dangerous talking about yourself too much because you find yourself talking in sound bites.

- Emily Mortimer

Sound, Dangerous, About, Sound Bites

I must have been a really pretentious little girl.

- Emily Mortimer

Girl, Been, Must, Pretentious

So far I haven't really been prominent enough to get critical attention focused on me. So, of course, I fully expect bad reviews, but I will be wracked with misery as a result.

- Emily Mortimer

Been, Critical, Prominent, Fully

New York is great, but I miss L.A. - I feel like there was something exotic about L.A. that I kind of underestimated at the time. It was very unfamiliar to me.

- Emily Mortimer

New, Like, Very, Exotic

To get art nowadays, in cinema or books or anything, that grapples with the possibility of a meaningless universe... it just doesn't happen any more. In even the most indie of the indie films, everything has to come to some kind of neat conclusion.

- Emily Mortimer

Some, Indie, Nowadays, Possibility

I'd been shy since childhood, constantly full of self-doubt. And as an actor, I'd been so scared of failing that I made my career - and myself - a big joke.

- Emily Mortimer

Career, Big, Been, Scared

I'm just happy to be a film where for once I don't have to worry about my hair, because my managers are always complaining about my hair looking depressing in my movies. Which is true. I mean, it's true.

- Emily Mortimer

Worry, Always, Which, Managers

I borrowed my friend's car the other day in an attempt to persuade my husband that we needed a car and literally this is true, in the first day of borrowing the car, I got three tickets and I rear-ended it.

- Emily Mortimer

Other, Needed, Tickets, Borrowing

Some people come alive at night. I'm hopeless by 9 p.m. Coffee and Cadbury buy me an extra half hour. Often I can't get my clothes off I'm so far gone.

- Emily Mortimer

Alive, Some, Half, Extra

So what I do now is to pre-empt that by making the up into a virtue, and telling funny stories about how crap I am before people have a chance to notice it for themselves and think maybe I haven't realised.

- Emily Mortimer

Maybe, Before, Telling, Notice

When I'm panicked about my love handles, I go to the YMCA and get obsessed with Kid Rock videos as I'm on the running machine.

- Emily Mortimer

Love, Kid, Obsessed, Panicked

I want any excuse to come home. My dad is not a spring chicken any more. If anyone says, 'Go buy a postage stamp in London,' I'll go and do it.

- Emily Mortimer

London, Chicken, Dad, Postage

Accents are very tangible, blessedly, and if you have to do one, it's a way of getting into character. I can read it through a few times and pretend I know what I'm doing!

- Emily Mortimer

Doing, Through, Very, Tangible

I had friends at school, but I was never part of a gang and I dreamed of that sense of belonging to a group. You know, where people would call me 'Em' and shout across the bar, 'Em, what are you drinking?' after the show.

- Emily Mortimer

Show, Part, Had, Shout

I think that you can get more passionate about somebody the longer you're with them and the more you know them and the more you go through together. Being married is definitely better than it's cracked up to be I think.

- Emily Mortimer

Think, Through, I Think, Cracked

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