Karen Allen
Karen Allen
Karen Jane Allenis an American actress. She played Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Arkand Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Allen has also had roles in films such as National Lampoon's Animal House, The Wanderers, Cruising, Shoot the Moon, Starman, Scrooged, The Sandlot, The Perfect Stormand Poster Boy...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actress
Date of Birth5 October 1951
CityCarrolton, IL
CountryUnited States of America
I said to myself, 'I've waited a long time in my life to have a child, and I'm missing it, I want to continue to have a career, but not this way.
As far as acting in films, there is not much out there that is very interesting to do. The ones that are interesting to me are independent films and they have trouble raising money. With people putting their money into blockbusters, there is not much left for the independents.
Idleness does drive me crazy, but I'd rather read or write than do anything just to work. A kind of respect has been instilled in me for acting: I love it too much to ever have a bad relationship with it.
I was always drawn toward the Actor's Studio. I studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute when I first came to New York. One of my favorite teachers was one of Al [Pachino]'s teachers, a guy named Charlie Laughton, who was just a wonderful, wonderful man.
I loved living and breathing theatre so much that I decided I had to find a way to bring my desire to act and my ability to support myself together. I'd run through the possibilities in Washington, so that meant moving to New York.
I thought, I need to reinvent myself. I want every day of life to be wonderful, fascinating, interesting, creative. And what am I gonna do to make that happen?
I just felt like I had to create a life for myself where I was more independent.
I was quite eager to work, anytime somebody was offering me a job, if I liked the role. Because I was always very discriminating from the very beginning, in the sense that I had absolutely no problem saying no to jobs when they came along if somehow they didn't fit into my universe - whatever that was.
I don't necessarily like being defined by my profession.
I'm from a generation of fantastic actresses. It's a big pool of really wonderful actresses, and so many of them we never even get to see on the screen anymore.
A lot of times when I've been offered film series and stuff, if they shoot in Los Angeles, I lose interest.
I've never done anything for money. My first love is things of limited commercial appeal. I could be happy doing Shakespeare for the rest of my life.
I'm about as healthy as a person can be. I quit smoking seven or eight years ago.
Sometimes I think candor is the only kindness.