On the meaning of "home":
"My father was a traveling salesman and a teacher, and we moved around a lot. I went to eight different schools — I was always the new girl in town, the outsider looking in. I’ve felt that way my whole life, like I never belonged in one particular place. The imagination was my escape and my entertainment. That’s what acting still is for me."
On King Kong:
"Getting cast in the Fay Wray role was such a fluke. I was just back from Paris, and all skin and bones with a white Afro, and they took one look at me and said, “She’s not right.” But then they flew me out to MGM to put me on camera — what did they have to lose? And by the time I left, I had the part. I had no idea how big the movie was, or that coming out of it I wouldn’t be taken seriously. I went back to taking acting classes for a few years. When you’re young, you don’t see the connections, how one thing leads to the other."
On Jack Nicholson:
"Jack Nicholson and the director, Bob Rafelson, were incredibly kind and generous, trusting an unproven actress with a major dramatic role. I learned a lot from being around Jack — he’s one of the great film actors of all time. He understood the camera and what to do when. He showed me the power of gesture. "
On Sam Shepard:
"I wouldn’t call Sammy easygoing and funny, but everybody has their dark side, and he always does it with a sense of humor."
On aging in Hollywood:
"Ageism is pervasive in this industry. It’s not a level playing field. You don’t often see women in their 60s playing romantic leads, yet you will see men in their 60s playing romantic leads with costars who are decades younger. I think about how few wonderful actresses of my generation are still doing viable, important film work. You go to television. You go to the stage. You do whatever you can because you want to keep working."
Read the full interview at AARP.
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