Byrne: "I loved performing; I was always trying to impress my siblings by being a clown. I think that came from being the runt of the litter."

Byrne: "They think I'm depressed because I look serious in photos. It's usually because I'm just nervous. But I've stopped dressing for other people. If I think I look good, that's the most important thing."

Byrne: "I often do very serious roles, but really I am a big clown."

Byrne: "Where I am now, you're very much at everybody else's mercy. You have no control over your career in a lot of ways. It's just important to know what your own goals are, because that's empowering."

Byrne: "I think its important to keep an element of fear about yourself because it makes you appreciate the jobs."

Byrne: "I've always thought of myself as more of a character actress. I've tried to do different things, but I've always been under the radar and that's how I like it. I've been really blessed to work this long and I just hope I continue to get better and better and better and better."

Byrne: "I tend to spiral out of control if I'm not working. I get panicked and don't know what to do with myself."

Byrne: "I'm ambitious but I'm not particularly competitive. I'll try to get roles, as I think it's healthy to go for things, but... I think there's too much competition between women already. It's important to have female solidarity and support each other and other actresses."

Byrne: "I'm the youngest of four, and I'm always the clown - making the jokes, wanting attention."

Byrne: "There's a lot of intensity when you're on a set. And then it just goes away and no one's giving you attention or flooding you with compliments."

Byrne: "At a certain point, I got into the older, cooler crowd, and they listened to hip-hop. I was desperately trying to fit in."

Byrne: "Art, a book, a painting, a song, can definitely inspire change, whether it's a small change or a big change but you know there's novels I've read or a scene in a film that I've seen where I definitely inspired something and made a change or addressed an issue in my life or done something cliche like make a phone call."

Byrne: "Being an actor is mostly about rejection and being out of work. It was a fast lesson in all of that stuff."