Jessica Lange Quotes

Powerful Jessica Lange for Daily Growth

About Jessica Lange

Jessica Lange, born on April 20, 1949, in Cloquet, Minnesota, is an accomplished American actress and photographer, renowned for her versatile acting skills and striking beauty. Raised in a modest home by parents Dorothy Elizabeth (Hudson) and Albert John Lange Jr., Jessica's interest in the arts began at an early age when she joined the local high school drama club. Her career took off after winning a scholarship to study at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City. In 1973, she made her Broadway debut in A Day in the Death of Joseph Stalin. This led to roles in various television films throughout the '70s and '80s, including King Kong (1976), for which she received an Emmy Award nomination. Jessica Lange gained international recognition when she started collaborating with director Woody Allen on three consecutive films – 'Another Woman' (1988), 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' (1989), and 'Shadows and Fog' (1992). Her work in these films solidified her status as a formidable actress. In 1994, Lange returned to the small screen with an unforgettable performance as a troubled circus performer in FX's 'Feud: Bette and Joan', for which she won her second Emmy Award. This marked the beginning of a successful television career that included roles in American Horror Story (2011-2018), earning her four Golden Globe Awards and two more Emmys. Throughout her illustrious career, Jessica Lange has embodied numerous complex characters on stage, screen, and photography. Her unique ability to transform herself into each role she plays sets her apart as one of the most talented actresses of her generation.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The roles I choose have to resonate with me on a very deep level."

This quote suggests that Jessica Lange only takes on roles in her acting career that deeply connect with her on an emotional or personal level. This implies a strong, intuitive connection between the character she plays and herself, ensuring authenticity and conviction in her performances.

"I've never been comfortable with my looks. If you are attractive, it's hard for people to see beyond that."

This quote by Jessica Lange highlights the issue of societal focus on physical appearance, suggesting that being conventionally attractive can potentially limit others' perception of one's true self or abilities. It implies that society often makes assumptions based solely on looks rather than personality, talent, or inner qualities. This quotation underscores the importance of looking beyond initial impressions and recognizing the depth and complexity within every individual.

"If you don't love what you do, then how can you expect anyone else to? You have to feel it and you have to be passionate about it."

This quote emphasizes the importance of passion in work or any endeavor one pursues. If a person lacks enthusiasm for their work, they cannot genuinely engage with it, and it is difficult to inspire others to care about it either. True dedication and love for what one does not only makes the work more fulfilling but also raises the quality of the output, as genuine passion often leads to greater effort and focus.

"I try not to take myself too seriously. I know how absurd we all are."

Jessica Lange's quote emphasizes the importance of humility and self-awareness, acknowledging that humans, despite our individuality and unique qualities, share a commonality in our inherent absurdity. By not taking ourselves too seriously, she suggests embracing this absurdity, recognizing our flaws, quirks, and imperfections as part of the human experience, and finding humor or lightness in them. This perspective promotes emotional resilience, empathy, and a deeper connection with others, fostering a more compassionate and accepting society.

"The older I get, the more I'm able to let go of things that don't matter, like the opinions of other people."

This quote by Jessica Lange emphasizes the importance of self-realization and focusing on what truly matters in life as one matures. By letting go of trivial concerns such as the opinions of others, an individual can achieve a greater sense of inner peace and freedom. This perspective encourages personal growth, self-acceptance, and the prioritization of one's own values, goals, and happiness over external validation or criticism.

I regret those times when I've chosen the dark side. I've wasted enough time not being happy.

- Jessica Lange

Happy, Regret, Side, Times

The only place I've felt was really my home is my cabin up north. There's something in the water there that connects me to that place. There's also this sense of isolation and loneliness about it that I've never been able to shake.

- Jessica Lange

Been, Shake, North, Cabin

This idea of selfishness as a virtue, as opposed to generosity: That, to me, is unnatural.

- Jessica Lange

Idea, Opposed, Unnatural, Generosity

The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children.

- Jessica Lange

Mom, Natural, Center, Motherhood

Successful model? That's a myth. The year I modeled was the most painful year of my life. Editors would always talk to you in the third person as though you were merely a piece of merchandise.

- Jessica Lange

My Life, Always, Though, Merchandise

Once I started on 'Frances' I discovered it was literally a bottomless well. It devastated me to maintain that for eighteen weeks, to be immersed in this state of rage for twelve to eighteen hours a day. It spilled all over, into other areas of my life.

- Jessica Lange

My Life, Other, Discovered, Bottomless

Your children are grown and your career has slowed down - all the stuff that took up so much attention is gone, and you're left with expansive time and space. You have to reimagine who you are and what life is about.

- Jessica Lange

Career, About, Your, Time And Space

So much of my sense of who I am is tied to mothering. When they left home, I fell into a huge, empty, black hole. Your children are grown and your career has slowed down - all the stuff that took up so much attention is gone, and you're left with expansive time and space.

- Jessica Lange

Career, Down, Your, Time And Space

If I didn't have children I'd be a much better actress. I wouldn't be so distracted. I could pour 100 percent of my energies into it, to promote the investigation which acting is.

- Jessica Lange

Actress, Could, Which, Energies

Families survive, one way or another. You have a tie, a connection that exists long after death, through many lifetimes.

- Jessica Lange

Death, Survive, Through, Lifetimes

To my mind the election was stolen by George Bush and we have been suffering ever since under this man's leadership.

- Jessica Lange

Mind, Election, Been, Stolen

Sometimes the odds are against you-the director doesn't know what the hell he's doing, or something falls apart in the production, or you're working with an actor who's just unbearable.

- Jessica Lange

Doing, Against, Production, Odds

Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons.

- Jessica Lange

Forgiveness, Acceptance, Tolerance

When I am home for like a two-year stretch, I get antsy, because I want to work.

- Jessica Lange

Work, Like, Antsy, Two-Year

It was easier to do Shakespeare than a lot of modern movie scripts that are so poorly written.

- Jessica Lange

Modern, Lot, Poorly, Scripts

Photography was a blessing because it filled my time.

- Jessica Lange

Because, My Time, Filled, Blessing

Photography was a blessing because it filled my time. If I had to start over, I'd pursue photography - probably to the exclusion of acting.

- Jessica Lange

Start, Over, Exclusion, Blessing

It comes down to something really simple: Can I visualize myself playing those scenes? If that happens, then I know that I will probably end up doing it.

- Jessica Lange

Myself, Doing, Will, Visualize

There's something magical still about it when I get in a darkroom, and you've shot a roll of film and you develop it and you look at your negatives, and there's, like, imagery there. That always stuns me.

- Jessica Lange

Always, Still, Darkroom, Imagery

For me, nothing has ever taken precedence over being a mother and having a family and a home.

- Jessica Lange

Family, Over, Ever, Precedence

I never shot on sets, but if I was traveling somewhere or on location, I would always have my camera, and I'd always be - it's that kind of fly on the wall approach to photography, though. I don't engage the subject. I like to sneak around, skulk about in the dark.

- Jessica Lange

Somewhere, About, Subject, Camera

What I love about photography, and it's the same thing I love about acting, really, is that it forces you, like, right into the moment, where you can't be distracted, where you can't be, like, thinking about other things or ahead of yourself or behind yourself.

- Jessica Lange

Love, Behind, Other, Distracted

All through life I've harbored anger rather than expressed it at the moment.

- Jessica Lange

Through, Rather, Than, Expressed

To work on the actual location I think is great. This thing of going to Canada and pretending you're in New York, it's terrible.

- Jessica Lange

Think, New, Actual, Terrible

I have made decisions based from purely an actor's point of view.

- Jessica Lange

Actor, Based, Purely, Decisions

Box office success has never meant anything. I couldn't get a film made if I paid for it myself. So I'm not 'box office' and never have been, and that's never entered into my kind of mind set.

- Jessica Lange

Office, Box, Been, Box Office

I've worked with some teachers and coaches over the years, but I didn't really study theater or technique or voice or any of that stuff extensively.

- Jessica Lange

Voice, Some, Over, Coaches

I like playing characters who are out there on the edge, where they can explode at any moment or fall off the precipice.

- Jessica Lange

Like, Off, Any, Explode

Because Shakespeare's language is so expansive, we're under this misconception that it's difficult. But I discovered that it's easy because it's so brilliantly written. The words are perfect, and the language is intelligent and very emotional.

- Jessica Lange

Perfect, Discovered, Very, Shakespeare

I had never done Shakespeare before, but I don't think you can be an actor and not do it. There were moments when I thought, I'm just not going to be able to pull this off.

- Jessica Lange

Thought, Think, Before, Shakespeare

I love being a mother. I loved being a daughter, a sister, a wife. I love being a woman with men. I love having given birth.

- Jessica Lange

Love, Woman, Given, Sister

I've been thinking a lot about next year, which will be the first time in 25 years that I don't have a child at home.

- Jessica Lange

Next, Been, Which, Next Year

There was that feminist myth that we can do everything. I don't think you can.

- Jessica Lange

Think, Everything, Myth, Feminist

In families there is always the mythology. My father died when my kids were quite young still, and yet they still tell his stories. That is how a person lives on.

- Jessica Lange

Always, Still, Stories, Mythology

I am tortured when I am away from my family, from my children. I am horribly guilt-ridden.

- Jessica Lange

Family, I Am, Away, Horribly

I never felt like I belonged in Minnesota when I was growing up there. That's why I was out the door as soon as I turned 18.

- Jessica Lange

Door, Like, Turned, Belonged

Allow the diversity to exist. There is nothing wrong with it. Hell, we put up with the religious right-we can put up with transgendered human beings.

- Jessica Lange

Nothing, Religious, Allow, Beings

Sometimes parts just come along when it's the perfect time for you to do them.

- Jessica Lange

Perfect, Sometimes, Along, Parts

I could be making a lot more money now if I had chosen a different kind of movie, but none of that matters to me... I've done the parts I wanted to do.

- Jessica Lange

Movie, Making, Could, Parts

For me, acting was always a way to explore emotions - to dip into the well and really try to reach rock bottom down there. That was the most exciting part of it. I hadn't found anything that really allowed me to do that until I came upon acting.

- Jessica Lange

Reach, Part, Allowed, I Came

At a certain age, death becomes familiar to you-or a loss becomes familiar-the tragedies that are more commonplace in life.

- Jessica Lange

Death, More, Familiar, Commonplace

If you're really in the process of photographing, you are absolutely aware. You are looking.

- Jessica Lange

Process, Aware, Absolutely, Photographing

The worst is when I talk myself into something. Sometimes you take things because you want to work with a certain actor, or you want to work with a director, even if the script or the part's not that great.

- Jessica Lange

Work, Myself, Director, Script

I have been a waitress, and I was a damn fine waitress too, let me tell you.

- Jessica Lange

Damn, Been, Fine, Waitress

If I had to start over, I'd pursue photography - probably to the exclusion of acting.

- Jessica Lange

Start, Over, Pursue, Photography

One of the things I love about acting is that it reveals a certain something about yourself, but it doesn't reveal your own personal story.

- Jessica Lange

Love, Own, Reveal, Acting

TV is sort of the only way to go for an actress my age to make a decent salary; with independent films, you just can't.

- Jessica Lange

Actress, TV, Films, Decent

There are no explanations, there are no answers.

- Jessica Lange

Answers, Explanations

To work with a director that has emotional commitment and passion toward the characters, and the piece, and the experiences, it only enriches your work.

- Jessica Lange

Characters, Toward, Piece, Experiences

I worked on my voice for Sweet Dreams, but only to match my speaking voice to Patsy's actual singing voice. That was my way into that character.

- Jessica Lange

Voice, Singing, Actual, Speaking

I've never been a sunny personality. I've never been outgoing. I'm a solitary person.

- Jessica Lange

Never, Been, Outgoing, Solitary

I do love acting. But to work as a photojournalist would have been extraordinary.

- Jessica Lange

Love, Been, Would, Extraordinary

We are not the originators of the story. I think it's actually the opposite when you're an actor. You're telling somebody else's story.

- Jessica Lange

Think, I Think, Telling, Opposite

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