Here, Bening looks back over some favorite moments in her career, fromThe Grifters, toAmerican Beautyand beyond.
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We were doing a scene outside, and Im teetering along on these high heels.
The GriftersMiramax/Everett Collection
Stephen Frears said to me, I want you to stop, then look, then start walking.
And I said, Oh, I forgot.
And he said, Youre paid to remember.
He was entirely justified.
So that was one little thing.
The Best Advice I Ever Received
Dont worry, be happy.
Its a Hindu thing.
Its an ancient thing.
Its a little simplistic, but theres something to it.
My dad just died four months ago, and he was 97.
The Part That I Always Wanted
I wouldve liked to have playedNora inA Dolls House.
I studied it a lot, and I did some of the play.
We worked on it for some project stuff in my acting school.
He changed the way women were seen.
Id like to play Yelena too late now inUncle Vanya.
Are there any that I really want to play that I havent, that I still could play?
I dont know, maybe [Hamlets mother] Gertrude.
My Toughest Role
CertainlyNyadwas up there.
Ive done a lot of things that were really tough for me.
Thats a wonderful thing to be able to say.
Challenging is such an important thing, whatever we do, thats how we grow.
Recently, over the holidays, we watchedLove Actually.
We had a bunch of us all together.
And then we also watchedIts a Wonderful Life, which weve done at holidays often.
We did it as a family and it was a group sob.
We were all crying.
What a wonderful feeling that is, I love it.
I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to die.
And he was also laughing.
You cant really see our faces, so it didnt really matter because its sort of from behind.
Peter is also a very funny person in life.
Hes really handsome and really funny, which is such a great combo.
I just saw him the other night in New York and we were laughing about that.
I think aboutThe Grifters.
Yeah, I would sayIm in all of themfor sure.
Thats all acting is.
Its what youve been through and what you might imagine.
My Most Quoted Role
Certainly, I will sell this house today, is one of them fromAmerican Beauty.
A lot of people, like general public kind of people, talk to me aboutThe American President.
I would say probably those two.
But, I will sell this house today, for sure.
I love it, its so fun.
Its also because theyre so kind to the people and they dont humiliate them.
Because I cant bear the [shows] where they humiliate people.
I bake a bit here and there and I enjoy it.
I find it really therapeutic.
Who Would Play Me In My Biopic
How old am I at the time of the biopic?
I would sayKate Winslet.
She can play me from 20 to 80, even though Im not 80 yet.
She can do anything.
I am such a fan of hers.
I think shes just phenomenal.
My Karaoke Playlist
God, I dont do karaoke.
I mean, I used to lip-sync along to albums for sure, when I was a kid.
I would lip-sync toThe Sound of Musicbecause I had the album and I was obsessed with it.
