There's a oneness to showing yourself to an audience. They feel that. It's healthy. That's what acting is all about.

Acting is about giving yourself away, like the U2 song 'With or Without You.' You just don't stay behind a character and make people laugh or cry. At some point you have to take off that mask, and when you do, you're a human being, not just an actor. After all, I'm Catherine the person first. You share that.

I'm a happy member of the church. I'm proud of it and defend it. It makes me bold and gives me confidence. I feel I know the answer to life - that it's all about. If you're not searching for the answer to life, you have more time to make art. It's a rock for me upon which I can tap dance.

At Cornell, my acting teacher said you cannot be religious and be an artist. I sort of got it, because faith is a comfort and art comes from a lot of places, in a lot of people, from the dark chasm.

I don't believe any religion should be exclusive or feel superior in any way, or be judgmental. It should be a quiet, private thing.

I started acting when I was about 18. I was a model for a couple of years before that.