Top 35 Samantha Morton Quotes

Most of my life, I’ve been on a film set. There isn’t anything to learn, not learn, unlearn. It’s just in me.

You’ve got all these books on self help, getting to know yourself, doing the right thing, eating the so-called right foods, even down to what books you have on your shelves. People are encouraged to look to themselves first as opposed to being a part of society.

I could be equally happy on a film set or in the middle of a field.

To be honest with you, a lot of directors can be very lazy.

I respond very well to well-written material and women who have had an effect on society, something tragic or monumental has happened to them.

I like to stretch my acting muscles.

I want to prove that you don’t have to come from Oxford University or Rada – and you don’t have to have parents that support you – to succeed.

My name can raise money on a small-budget film.

The truth is I had lots of rehab and now I have a clean bill of health.

My mind boggles at the amount of violence inflicted upon children in today’s society.

It’s important to have masculine energy around your child.

For anyone who’s been in care, successfully coming through the system is nothing to with money or success; it’s the ability to feel love and be loved in return.

I think there’s a very fine line between the type of performing that some actors do, and being in a state in your mind where you actually believe what’s going on. If we weren’t actors, what would we do with that ability? Would we not be slightly insane? Mentally ill? I don’t know.

I was physically abused and I retaliated.

Your spirit is your spirit, whether you’re religious or whatever.

It’s more important for me to feel content than to be famous.

People often ask me, was it hard to play this person or that person? Well, no, not really. Acting is what I do. It’s my job.

I just get really defensive as soon as anyone comes near my personal life. I made a decision early on that it’s strictly off-limits. No exceptions.

I’m not a writer. I think I can write short stories and poetry, but film writing, brilliant film writing, is a talent – you can’t just do it like that.

I can’t act without music very well.

I hate the analyzing thing. People say, ‘Why do you think your character did that? I don’t know. I’m not an analyst, and they’re not in psychotherapy. Unless it’s a film where they’re in therapy.

It’s not about the money with me.

Catholicism played such a huge part in my life, I would not have survived without my faith.

I was angry but not at God. I feel that you are closer to God when you are messed up. Definitely. That’s when you most need God, and God cannot control what man does.

I have worked very hard on being aware of my childhood but moving forward and not letting it bring me down emotionally. That is a hard thing – especially when you have children of your own and you remember what happened to you at that age.

What shocks me is that so many people leave care and become homeless, and when you’re homeless you get into crime, prostitution and drugs, and it is a vicious circle. That’s what we need to change.

The thing with me is, if I wake up one morning and I’m not happy working as an actress, I’ll stop. It’s not something I have to do. It’s not a vocation.

If I’m preparing for something and I’ve got a huge day the next day, I have to get into character the night before to assess the scene. I can’t assess a scene unless I’m in character, if that makes sense.

On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.

I wanted to make a film – and I’ve been wanting to do this for 16 years – about life in care, and bring it to the public’s attention, because I had never seen anything, on TV or in the cinema, which said: ‘This is how it feels to be a kid in care’.

I’m an actor. That’s what I’m gifted at. It’s what makes me breathe.

It’s fantastic to strive towards a nice life where you eat nice organic food and your children go to a nice school and you can afford nice clothes and nice perfume and the hypoallergenic make-up. But there’s never a day goes by, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, that I don’t think about where I’m from.

Some directors cast you because they trust you to do the performance – but then they forget to direct you.

You get very possessive about characters, you feel you can see it in your mind and you want to play it.

I will check the internet for at least an hour every morning scanning worldwide news to do with child abuse. So if you’re constantly putting yourself in an environment where you’re checking up on social economics or homelessness problems, if you keep yourself aware of it, you don’t really have a day off.