It was a good 10 hours in the makeup chair, and then I’d go and do a 1 — Mia Goth

"You have to be fierce as an actor. It’s not the actor’s job to be interesting; that’s the script’s job. It’s our job to be truthful and brave."

"So often in films there are two ways a female can be portrayed: either innocent and virginal or the complete opposite. You never have the middle ground, and I was really keen to portray a realistic, honest approach of who I think a young woman would be in this situation – strong and independent."

"Acting is the only thing I do, the only thing I know. It’s a marathon for me. There is a lot of thought that goes into the choices I make as an actor and the films I decide to do. It’s important to fill up your life with varied experiences, then return to set, a sacred place to release and reveal. Each time I’m cast, it feels like a miracle, and I prepare as if it might be my last role—an energy that makes me work harder and be more present on set."

"I would wake up very early, put my phone on a timer for maybe an hour at a time, and write in the style of a stream of consciousness, rather than script form, because I found that to be an obstacle in me getting my ideas down. I would write as Pearl, as me … but Pearl is me. I mean, all my characters are me, turned up or turned down. It’s all me exploring different facets of myself."

"In the beginning of my career, I was just happy to be in a movie. ‘Ill just do whatever you give me. Ill be there.’ As time has progressed, I view myself as more valuable, with more to give than just being in a movie. Working with Ti [West] and being involved from the start has shown me I can have agency over the creative process. A meaningful voice can go beyond acting—screenwriting, producing, having input—and that has become clearer. Its about more than being happy to be here; its about making great cinema."

"I saw acting as a way to get out of the situation I was in. That’s really what made me work as hard as I did. It was my driving force. ‘If this doesn’t work, then I’m going to go back to that, and I can’t let that be. So this needs to work. There’s no plan B. I have to do whatever it takes to make this scene good, to make sure that I’m good enough as an actor."