They said what: Best celebrity quotes of 2023

We’ve had a busy year interviewing some of Tinseltown’s biggest stars, even when most productions came to a screeching halt during the Hollywood actors’ 118-day strike. Here are some of our favorite quotes in 2023:

HARRISON FORD

On Indiana Jones’ “one last adventure” in “Dial of Destiny”

I’ve always wanted this series of films with Indy to be rounded out by acknowledging the age of the character and his circumstances. I wanted to have some fun using all of what we had woven together, then add to it things that are very interesting—like his retirement from the academe.

More than that, there’s also Indy’s separation from his family, his redemption through regenerated ambition, as well as the joy of going on one last adventure. You see Indy acting his age.

OLIVIA COLMAN

On joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe via “Secret Invasion”

After every Marvel movie has landed in cinemas, I found my agent and said, “Please, can I be in a Marvel film?” Either she got fed up with me calling her nonstop or it just finally happened. So it wasn’t because “Secret Invasion” came calling. Any mention of the word Marvel and I went, “Yes, please!”—so that’s why I’m here. And it lived up to everything that I was hoping for.

GAL GADOT

Who would win in a four-way fight among her characters, Wonder Woman, Sarah Black (“Red Notice”), Gisele Yashar (“Fast and Furious”) and Rachel Stone (“Heart of Stone”)? Oh, that’s not fair! I’ll have an identity crisis—that would be so weird (laughs). First of all, Diana Prince is a semigoddess, so no matter what Rachel or Gisele will do to Wonder Woman, she’s going to stay alive.

Sarah is calculated, whereas Rachel is more of a loose cannon—she’s wilder, but has strong instincts. But, come on, they’re all like my babies! Like, how lucky am I that I get to play all of these amazing women? I love them all (laughs).

MARIO MAURER

On the superpower he’d like to haveAll I want is to have magic hands … so that if I touch a leaf, it becomes money! Then, I can just walk around and take every leaf I see and make lots of money (laughs)!

JENNIFER ANISTON

When did she realize her knack for comedy?

I used to write skits for recess in third grade … And I also remember when I was doing a play [at university]—like, it was Chekhov—and people were laughing when they shouldn’t be! So, the drama teacher said, “Jennifer, I think you should try comedy”—and I was offended! Because, like (says with conviction) … “I’m a dramatic actress. How dare you!” My Russian acting coach said I was a disgrace to Moscow theater (laughs).

ZO IN-SUNG

On family as a major theme in “Moving”

I play black-ops agent Kim Doosik, who has the ability to fly. The version of Doosik I play in the series is the one who’s very much like me. He’d probably be portrayed differently if another actor had played him. But I tapped into my own inner world and personality to build this character. I’m sure that readers of the original webtoon have different interpretations of Doosik, but I hope they keep an open mind and appreciate my version of the character.

“Moving” is a story about family … it’s about our mothers and fathers, and we’ll all reach their age one day. I hope this series will give viewers the chance to think about family and what it means to them.

REESE WITHERSPOON

On man’s perpetual need for connection

I think there are scientific studies about how important connection is, particularly after the pandemic … after we all got so used to being isolated from each other. This is a great time for people to be looking for community. They’re looking for love. It’s a rebirth of sort for society in general.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH

On how he managed to still look gorgeous despite the fight and chase scenes in “Extraction 2”Thank you for that … “feedback.” Well, you just got to have [director] Sam Hargrave behind the camera to make sure that he captures all your good angles (laughs). But for this film, there is a lot more pruning and prepping for the scenes and imagery [than the actors’ looks]. Here, it’s more, “dirty it down, dirty it down,” with scars, blood, sweat and so on.

JAVIER BARDEM

On the lessons from “The Little Mermaid”

You know, my job was very specific. It’s about a father who is deeply in love with his daughter. With that love comes confusion, fear and insecurity. As a result, he blocks her from being free. One of the beautiful themes in the story is that the mother [of Prince Eric] and the father of Ariel may be the adults in the story, but they learn a lot [about life and love] from their own kids.

JOANNA AMPIL

On being the first female Engineer in “Miss Saigon”

The role was a huge challenge and a life-changer for me because I created it from scratch. We wanted to champion women empowerment and do this version from an Asian perspective. I needed to create something new because I couldn’t fit into the mold of the male Engineer. For example, I had to have a different American Dream—this time, it’s not about the Cadillac, because this Engineer is also a showgirl.She’s a producer, an entrepreneur … she loves anything flamboyant, something that has to do with excessive money. That’s why she created Dreamland, that whole competition, because her dream was to produce a show in Las Vegas and be the star. That’s nothing like a male Engineer would probably want. That’s my Engineer.

It’s also about sisterhood. It’s not that I’m discounting the previous interpretation at all. But it’s going to change somehow because this Engineer sees something in Kim that is more reflective of her own story.

JONATHAN GROFF

On what part he hopes “Knock at the Cabin” could play in normalizing queer characters in thrillers and horror films

I was so excited to know that this was not only a horror film, but a Shyamalan movie with a gay couple at the center of it. I grew up watching his films. When I came out in 2009 at age 23, I never imagined that I would eventually find myself acting in movies. This was what I thought even before gay marriage was legalized. So I said, “I’ll just keep doing theater … because I’d rather be out than in.”

Fast-forward 15 years later, Ben [Aldridge, who’s also openly gay] and I are playing a married gay couple with an adopted daughter—that’s truly a sign of the times! And for that to happen under the watch of such an iconic film director like Night means that so many people are going to see this movie.

CHRIS PRATT

What was it like on the last day of filming the final installment of “Guardians of the Galaxy”?

I don’t know if they wanted me to [make a speech], but they certainly weren’t going to stop me. You know, the thing that you want to avoid is regret. I didn’t want to look back thinking, “Why did I let that go by without trying to enjoy every moment? Why didn’t I savor that?”

I wanted to be “present” for it. This may sound trite, but the only thing that I was feeling was just gratitude. I wanted to be the guy who reminded everyone how far we’d come and all the things that we had overcome.

PENN BADGLEY

Can there be redemption for his serial-killer “You” character, Joe?

Joe isn’t real. And in a world without Joe, I think redemption is a thing. So, theoretically, it’s possible for those who have done something really terrible to seek redemption, although the bar for them is just too high. But if you ask me if redemption is possible for Joe … no.

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN

On his fascination with the supernatural and the macabre

You know, when I talk to journalists like you about my films, I learn something about myself. It’s almost like you’re my therapist … because you’re very good at just letting me talk my feelings out (laughs). And this made me realize that, inherently, I’m a very emotional and sentimental guy.

My first two movies, which I did when I was 21 (the drama “Praying with Anger”) and 24 (the comedy-drama “Wide Awake”), showed heart-on-sleeve emotions, but I couldn’t “connect” to the audiences properly for some reason, because I was only showing light and love and sentimentality.

So when I decided to go into [the horror] genre for my third movie (“The Sixth Sense”) at 26 or 27, that’s when I had the darkness that evened out the light … and that was when I found the right balance. The audience could finally see that I could do very emotional stories [that are] balanced against the genre. I’m able to deal with darkness now. I love that side of me … the dark things that balance out all of the optimism that I genuinely feel. So, that has stayed with me since “The Sixth Sense,” because it matches my personality. And it enables me to talk to you in a more powerful way.

H.E.R.

On her Pinoy heritage

Being Filipino is a big part of who I am. You know, I grew up in the Bay Area, which has a big Filipino population. But I notice that when I leave the place, a lot of people don’t really know much about the Philippines or who we are.

They ask me questions like, “Do you eat with chopsticks?” I want people to “see” us and understand how important community is for us. So I’m very happy to be able to represent our culture in that way and introduce it to others.

KWON SANG-WOO

On taking acting seriously, visiting the Philippines

My yearning to become less of a star and more of an actor has gotten stronger. I feel like I want to throw myself deeper into the projects that I’m working on, even more so than when I was younger. I feel like I am filled with more passion when it comes to the mindset of approaching my projects as an actor.

And hearing from you actually reminds me that it was in the Philippines where I shot my very first personal photo book! I remember those years very fondly, when I was a teen star visiting the Philippines for the first time.

BEOMGYU OF TXT

On personal and artistic growth

When we were on tour last year, I felt that all the members were experiencing personal and artistic growth. And because we’ve been to different countries for the concert series and on the Lollapalooza stage, each of those milestones have helped us grow.