Annette Bening

Based on a best-selling book, Running with Scissors tells the intricate tale of Deirdre, a poet and unstable mother who slips into a world of psychosis. Deirdre, who believes her husband wants her dead, uses sedatives to escape her complicated life—all while seducing her female neighbor and shipping her son off to live with her psychiatrist.

Annette says she felt a great deal of responsibility playing Deirdre. "Every time I work, the responsibility is to just try to feel the character's life and be behind their eyes as much as possible," Annette says. "We don't have to judge the characters that we play."

While emotionally draining, Annette says playing the part was also very cathartic. "I think when you're at your best as an actor it is cathartic. So, the feeling at the end of the day is...'It's gone. It's out. I've done it'. And there is a feeling of satisfaction."