They said what? Stars’ quotable quotes in 2019 (Conclusion)

Here are more quotable quotes from the stars we interviewed in 2019.

GEORGE CLOONEY

On Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, CEO and executive editor of Rappler, who is facing a string of cases in the Philippines as the Duterte administration slams Rappler for its critical coverage. Ressa has since posted bail eight times and has been arrested twice:

She is that version of us at our best, holding truth to power. So she should be supported by all of us as loudly and as often as possible.

DWAYNE JOHNSON

When teased if he ever has nightmares of turning into a puny wrestler:

Are you asking me, did I ever have a nightmare where I became Kevin Hart (laughs)? That is an awful nightmare, and I hope I never have that (laughs).

ANTHONY HOPKINS

His playful competition with Jonathan Pryce on the set of “The Two Popes”:

Jonathan said, “I have a bigger trailer than you.” I said, “Yeah, but I am Sir Anthony Hopkins (laughs).” I’m Sir No. 2.

We had a lot of fun. Also, when I was playing the piano in the scene, Jonathan would fall asleep (laughs). He said, “Is that the best you can do?” I said, “I can do a bit of Liberace, if you like.”

JAMES CORDEN

Being the good comedian he is with perfect timing, James on his first date with Julia, who would become his wife:

I’ll never forget what she said. She looked me in the eyes, held my hand and said, “One day, you will get nominated for a Golden Globe. Not for ‘Into the Woods,’ not for ‘Cats,’ maybe for ‘The Prom.’ When that day comes, that will be the pinnacle of our love story.” I’m joking, I’m absolutely joking.

SANDRA OH

On Asian-American talents unifying to further increase the visibility and clout of minorities in Hollywood:

African-Americans have borne the brunt of the burden to pave the way. Other communities need to find a way that is uniquely their own. The Asian-American community covers a tremendous amount of cultures that are not necessarily a similar unified experience as in the African-American community. I would imagine it’s the same in the Latin community. It’s not just one experience.

People are coming from different cultures.

CONSTANCE WU

The “Crazy Rich Asians” star, who plays a stripper in “Hustlers” which costars Jennifer Lopez, on how pole dancing can feel empowering, especially in the context that some men see Asian women as sex objects:

If you think about it metaphorically on a pole, you’re pulling yourself up with your strength. And sometimes, it seems like women start 10 steps behind everybody. It’s empowering because you find muscles that you’ve never used before, and you find ways of expressing your body that you have never done before.

So, for me, it wasn’t about sexuality and fetishization. But it was about the possibility of the human body and of the spirit just to transform an audience, and make some dollar bills.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

The Terminator, Conan, seven-time Mr. Olympia winner and former California governor himself said these words to me during our interview—he definitely made my day:

That was amazing. You have a lot of balls, I can tell you that. I wouldn’t have done that.

(I will not reveal what made Arnold say one of the most flattering comments I have heard in many years. But you betcha I was grinning from ear to ear.)

ELTON JOHN

On masturbating:My father told me that if I masturbated, I’d go blind (laughs). Then, at age 13, I started to have glasses. I went, “Oh my God, it’s coming true (laughs)!”

On his recovery from drugs, bulimia and dealing with the pressures of rapid fame:

I had everything going for me and I nearly threw it all away. There are still parts of a performer that will lead you to the dark side. Then one day, I would get up and felt like the world got dark. But it doesn’t last long because I have David (Furnish, his husband) to get me out of it and I have my children. When my children are around, I never feel dark.

I’m extremely lucky. I always say onstage that when I got sober, I was determined to do something, because I don’t think I had done enough for people with AIDS. I wasn’t at the forefront and as a gay man, I should have been. So, in 1992, when I set up the Elton John AIDS Foundation in Atlanta, it was something that I really wanted to do because so many of my friends had died.

When I set up the foundation in 1992, there was no cure, no help. I was delivering meals in Atlanta, for people who were going to die in two weeks. It was an essential part of my rehabilitation, to do something for other people.

I didn’t do enough during the 1980s, because when you’re a self-absorbed drug addict and you’re touring all the time, you lose all sense of reason, responsibility and logic.

LULU WANG

Director of “The Farewell” on her success story:

It’s the typical immigrant story and my parents just wanted me to succeed and do well. They didn’t necessarily know what that meant back then.

For them, they were the routes that they saw that other people had taken—lawyers, doctors and maybe even journalists, because they saw Connie Chung (laughs).

But they didn’t see people who looked like me, women, Asians, making films in this country or being an artist of any kind.

So it was always this push and pull but, at the same time, my mother was a writer. She was the editor of a literary gazette in Beijing, so she herself took an unconventional route.

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