Julie Christie

Men don’t want any responsibility, and neither do I.

Happiness is the absence of suffering. I think it’s an interesting way of looking at it. I think the absence of suffering exists very rarely in the world we live in.

I remember becoming aware of women’s issues and inequality. It became glaringly clear to me when I was living in America that women are regarded as less intelligent than men.

I started noticing how stained the pavements are in London. The pavements in Beverly Hills aren’t used; in London, they’re used for everything. It doesn’t matter how much they’re cleaned, they still reflect light.

Altman works in such an interesting way, letting things occur in the film even if he didn’t particularly plan them.

Most of the time I spent in America, I was having a love affair with some American or other. I was just passing through but stayed because of these chaps.

I’d never been content in America.

I never will have peace of mind. I’m not constructed that way. Some things in life can be horrible.

The little things that made up the fabric of the first six years of my life were suddenly ripped away, and I didn’t have anyone around me who loved me. Not one single person.

I was born with a need to be the center of attention, and, of course, you’re the center of the world when you’re acting.

It’s quite hard for me being an actress because I actually don’t like attention.

I see stardom very clearly as a construct that’s been created in order to sell things.

I regret that I wasn’t the kind of person who could enjoy celebrity. It embarrassed me too much.

I did things like Shampoo and Heaven Can Wait. I don’t know what those films were about. The women I played in them were not very empowered.

I was utilized because I have a certain face that works well in cinema, and I’m used to making myself look as good as possible.

Early on, I found the attention completely embarrassing. I’d cringe if I saw my picture on the cover of a magazine.

I think I’ve got something when I’m onscreen, but that’s nothing to do with acting or talent.

As I became very defined in my personal politics, I turned down some films that I slightly regret now; I’m not going to say what they were.

I don’t think I would have been a good mother. Being a parent brings immense responsibility. It’s a Herculean task. It would be almost too much for me.

There were some films I refused because the feminist aspect was a bit wonky.

Children can only take so much, and they deal with it however they can.

When I came back to Britain, I realized that I was no longer a very young woman. I had to meet my new consciousness, my new age, with roles that reflected it somewhat.

It takes me time to realize things; I’m a speedy person but a slow thinker.

Some people enjoy celebrity. I admire those who do, because if you’re going to go through it, you might as well enjoy it.

Living in America, I became aware of many issues and went through a period of politicization.

I’ve never quite understood why people marry; marriage is just an invented structure.

My family said that I wanted to act even when I was a child living on a tea plantation in the jungle in India.

I’m not in the advertising business, but I think it would be very nice if people went to see the film Hamlet, because it was made with love and integrity.

I basically put myself into directors’ hands and let them tell me what to do, and the more they told me what to do, the more I liked it.

The status quo and the media is doing everything it can to fry children’s brains and make them grow up maladjusted.