I've always felt like the reason I became an actor is because I look for more high drama than what I had at home.
I couldn't be a writer without hope. I think I became a writer because I'm pretty optimistic.
I did a book in 1996, an overview of black history. In that process I became more aware of a lot of the black inventors of the 19th century.
If you think Abraham Lincoln became famous for inventing the town car, it is time to spend a few hours on history.
My dad was an engineer, and he became the CEO of Chevron. His was an engineer's mind-set: Everything's kind of a problem; how do you approach the problem?
It is because my dad died suddenly that I became an actor. I thought, I'm going to make money doing this thing I enjoy.
When I was younger, all I wanted to do was be a singer, and then I got into a great acting class in New York and became obsessed with that.
I always did TV commercials and made great money to put myself through school. That became guest starring roles on TV shows.
I feel as if I became a documentary film-maker only because I had writer's block for four decades. There's no other good reason.
I was good at math and science, and I got lots of degrees in lots of things, but in a parallel universe, I probably became a chef.
My publisher, who was so good as a taster and editor, when she became a writer, lo and behold, it was all this feminine tosh.
The most intimidating world leader was Lyndon Johnson, who became U.S. President when John Kennedy was assassinated. He exulted in this power and liked to inspire fear.
When I did finally live in the Dandenongs, the mountain ash forests became an important part of my life.
Life changed at 40 for me, as predicted by my acting teacher when I was leaving college. I became more hirable and more interesting... I'm not sure why.
Then I became a mother and it just fills every space, that isn't filled with something else important. It's just like this incredible balloon that blows up and fills life up.
You know, something happened to me when I became 70. I started to feel a tremendous love for the human race, and life and this planet, the universe, the whole shebang.
Bottom line: if you show a genuine interest in learning about how others became successful, you can open up a world of opportunities.
I temporarily became a surgeon for 'Memory of Love'. I spent two weeks in an operating theatre, watching amputations, and I loved it.
America, when it became known to Europeans, was, as it had long been, a scene of wide-spread revolution.
I had higher math SATs than in English - yet I became an English major in college.
I became chairman of the inmates committee. Got into a lot of trouble. Was accused of fomenting a riot. Was accused of plotting to kill the warden.
