Quotes

[nudity on Euphoria (2019)] I was timid at first because I've never done anything like that before. The thing about the nudity in this show is that it's not glamorized. It's not, "Oh, here's a pair of tits." It's just real.

[people's perception of actors who perform nude] They think, 'Oh, she gets naked onscreen, she's a sex symbol. And I can't get past that. I have no problems with those scenes, and I won't stop doing them, but I wish there was an easier way to have an open conversation about what we're assuming about actors in the industry.

They don't pay actors like they used to, and with streamers, you no longer get residuals. The established stars still get paid, but I have to give 5 percent to my lawyer, 10 percent to my agents, 3 percent or something like that to my business manager. I have to pay my publicist every month, and that's more than my mortgage.

[ On The New York Times dubbing her the scariest girl on TV] I love it. It's definitely not a title I thought I would ever receive, but I'll take it.

[about the stigma around stripping off on TV] When a guy has a sex scene or shows his body, he still wins awards and gets praise. But the moment a girl does it, it's completely different.

The biggest misconception about me is that I'm a dumb blonde with big t*ts.

[on nude scenes double standards] There are hour-long compilations of world-famous male actors with nude scenes who win Oscars and get praised for that work, but the moment a woman does it, it degrades them. They're not actresses. They just take off their tops so they can get a role.

I had boobs before other girls and I felt ostracized for it

[on nepo babies] I had no idea getting into this industry how many people have connections. I started from ground zero, and I know how f***ing hard it is. "Now I see how someone can just walk in a door, and I'm like, 'I worked my f***ing ass off for ten years for this'.

I'm very proud of my work in 'Euphoria.' I thought it was a great performance. But no one talks about it because I got naked. I do 'The White Lotus' and all of a sudden critics are paying attention.

[In response to criticism of her nude scenes] I think it's ridiculous. I'm an artist, I play characters. It makes me want to play characters that p**s people off more

[making horror films] Being in the horror genre is fun, because in that genre, there's no limitations or boundaries. I always find it so funny when people pick apart a horror film's rules, or its storytelling. I'm like, It's a horror film. You're just having fun. It's not a movie for the Oscars; you know that going into it. We want to create something good, but it's fun having characters that can go to such extreme, absurd places, and people don't question it.

[on Madame Web (2024)] To me, that film was a building block, it's what allowed me to build a relationship with Sony. Without doing "Madame Web" I wouldn't have a relationship with the decision-makers over there. Everything in my career I do not just for that story, but strategic business decisions. Because I did that, I was able to sell Anyone But You (2023). I was able to get Barbarella.

[acting in the nude] I don't get nervous. I think that the female body is a very powerful thing. And I'm telling my character's story, so I owe it to them to tell it well and to do what needs to be done.

[her mom's life advice] My mom told me from a very young age to fall in love with as many things as possible. And so I did fall in love, again and again: I love sports. I love being outside. I was on the ski team, and I wakeboarded. I slalom ski on water. I was on the soccer team and the softball team. And then my parents got me into grappling, which is like wrestling, and kickboxing. I was the only girl at the dojo. I trained there from 13 until about 19. I fought all guys. I liked to think that if shit went down, I might be able to step up.

[training to star in the Christy Martin boxer biopic] My body was completely different. I didn't fit in any of my clothes. I'm usually a size 23 in jeans, and I was wearing a size 27. My boobs got bigger. And my butt got huge. It was crazy! I was like, Oh my god. But it was amazing. I was so strong, like crazy strong.

[choosing roles] In general, if something scares me, then usually I'm going to do it, because that means I'm challenging myself. But I do have really bad stage fright. I'm getting better now, but I give enormous credit to anybody who does theater or live talk shows. I'm terrified by both.