- You do not mess with my characters.
- It sounds like such a cliché, but I'm so incredibly lucky to be able to do what I love.
- It's strange, but for better or for worse-and I'm hoping it's for better-I tend to forget my accomplishments as soon as they happen.
- [on why her parents decided to move from Argentina] My Dad's Scottish-Argentine and my Mum's African-Spanish - and the political situation in Argentina was getting so dire that they wanted their children to grow up in an environment without fear. We all really resented them for it and now we look back, we're like thank you so much because they gave us such an opportunity in life.
- I was born in Miami but we moved straight away to Argentina where most of my family still lives, and I was there until I was six, and then we moved to England, and I learnt English when I was eight. I was stubborn and I wanted to go home and I didn't understand London at all. I'd come from a place where everything was green and everything was expensive and there were animals everywhere and all of a sudden, I came here [in England] and I was like 'what the f*ck is going on?'
- Acting is really a give-and-take; it's a dance.
- I don't know what kind of career I want to forge for myself. But I want it to be one where I love the work that I've done. And I like to think that I have good instincts.
- I refused to learn English for two years when we moved to London, hoping to send my family back home. It was tough, but at the same time, it has given me a sense of displacement that actually really suits the life that I'm living now.
- I don't really feel like I belong anywhere, which makes me belong everywhere.
- I think, probably, the place that I feel I most belong is a movie set. It doesn't matter where it is in the world or who I'm making the movie with; that's the closest thing that I've got to a sense of placement. So I guess acting was a way of finding a home, if that makes sense.
- I was devoured by the story, and I was devoured by this character. I just knew how to play Beth Harmon the moment I read her in the book. I've never had such little skin between myself and a character before.
- [on how she viewed the game of chess as a kid] I always looked at the board and thought it looks really beautiful. As a kid I would play out fantasy scenarios with the pieces. I didn't know how to play, but I kind of like created my own little kingdom.
- I come from many different places, but I think my warmth and my outlook on life are from Argentina. I'm very grateful for that part of my history. I feel very proud to come from Argentina.
- [on her performance as Illyana Rasputin] She was the first character I ever played who stomped into a room. The first day on set, I was like, I'm about to be a real dick to a whole bunch of people, then grow a massive arm and have a huge sword. All self-consciousness must go out the window, and you've just got to throw yourself into this right now.
- I had a really tough time at school, I was bullied and it was all making me quite depressed so I just wanted to go out into the world, which, um, my parents were thrilled about.
- [on having a panic attack during the filming of Emma.] My instant reaction was, 'I've messed up!' And the love that I got from everybody on that set meant I was only down for half an hour, but half an hour for me is like, 'I've delayed filming for half an hour!' Everyone was just so kind me and they were like, 'you're doing great and this is a lot and it's okay to have a wobble.' So, I think they just made me a bit more comfortable with being human.
- [on working with Robert Eggers on the production of The Witch] The most special thing about Robert and I is that nobody else understands the jump that our lives took after The Witch. We had never made a movie before. We didn't know if anyone was ever going to see it, and, literally overnight, the film exploded. It was never something we were expecting to happen. Now we get to play together again, and do the thing that we both love together. It feels like going home.
- [upon being asked about using a sword for her role as Illyana Rasputin] It's awesome, it's so cool, it's so much fun. I've gotten the chance to do stunts training with it. I did a movie called Morgan? Where I got to throw a lot of punches and learn how to do all the fighting, but like hand-to-hand combat and sword combat is so much...it's just, you can't pull a sword, you just kind of have to hit it, so it's like 'ah!' But it's really cool, I have a whole bunch of different ones, ones that light up, ones that are really heavy, ones that are lighter, rubber, it's just been a blast. The arm, the sword, it's pretty fucking cool. So I'm having a good time.
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