"I try to practice two approaches when it comes to what to do with the camera in your face: One is to block it out—which is actually possible, because if you can believe yourself to be a child murderess or imagine that a spaceship is landing on your head, you can certainly do away with a pesky black frame in your eye line. The second is to incorporate the camera and the man behind it."

-Michelle Williams, April 2011, nominated for Best Actress in My Week with Marilyn

"Celia Foote, my character in The Help, taught me so much about the joy in life and about having so much to give and nowhere to really throw it. When I leave a film, there's this sadness that I'm not gonna know this person anymore."

-Jessica Chastain, December 2011, nominated for Best Supporting Actress in The Help

"I was given a laundry list of things I would have to do if I got the part [of Lisbeth Salander]. You know, “You’re going to have to be a smoker. You’re going to have to get raped. You’re going to have to be naked—a lot.” Then she was like, “You’re going to have to ride a motorcycle.” And that was the only thing on the list where I said, “I can’t do that.”"

-Rooney Mara, December 2011, nominated for Best Actress in The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo

Viola Davis, nominated for Best Actress in The Help

Jean Dujardin, nominated for Best Actor in The Artist

Octavia Spencer, nominated for Best Supporting Actress in The Help

Janet McTear, nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Albert Nobbs

Bérénice Bejo, nominated for Best Supporting Actress in The Artist

Max von Snydow, nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

On early influences: "It was all about Mickey Rourke—I can see bits of him in stuff I do. Not that it's a copy, or even at that level, but I certainly see where the inspiration comes from."

-Brad Pitt, March 2007, nominated for Best Actor in Moneyball

Kenneth Brannagh, nominated for Best Supporting Actor in My Week with Marilyn

Christopher Plummer, nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Beginners

Jonah Hill, nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Moneyball

Demian Bichir, nominated for Best Actor in A Better Life

"I grew up in live television. My father had a local variety show in Cincinnati when I was growing up. If it was St. Patrick's Day I'd put on a leprechaun outfit and my dad would interview me, or if it ws Easter I'd put on a bunny outfit and my dad would say, 'What's it like being a bunny?'"

-George Clooney, February 2003, nominated for Best Actor in The Descendants

"Going through life, you discover these deep, dark things in yourself that you can't run away from, so you have to learn to embrace them. I mean, the difference between a murderer and myself is only that I choose not to do it. But I'm totally capable."

-Nick Nolte, February 1999, nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Warrior

"It's lovely when people say nice things—certainly better that being called a complete ignoramus—yet it can be an obstruction in my work. It comes into the room like a big gorilla before I arrive."

-Meryl Streep, December 1998, nominated for Best Actress in The Iron Lady

Glenn Close, nominated for Best Actress in Albert Nobbs

"Thatcher has single-handedly brought the arts to its knees in England."

-Gary Oldman, October 1990, nominated for Best Actor in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Melissa McCarthy, nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Bridesmaids