Mother:  A Collective Portrait  by Mary Motley Kalergis

"My own mother died when I was pregnant. I quit working and read every book on pregnancy and birth that I could get my hands on. It was like preparing for the toughest role of my life. I'd been acting professionally for about twelve years and I felt like my career was at a secure enough place so I could have a child. I was very close to my own mother and my pregnancy helped pull me through her death."

"I got so involved with my daughter after she was born I had a hard time giving interviews because all I wanted to talk about was giving birth or nursing her. I got an offer for the lead role in Terms of Endearment when she was seven months old, but I couldn't bear to leave her. I have no regrets, though. I felt like I was in the right place at the right time with her. When my baby was a little over a year, I chose to play the mother in the film The River. I felt like she was a character who could take real good care of my little girl. I was still nursing her and brought her to the set with me every day. I felt like I had a new level of understanding in playing the role of mother. I'd played that role before but always related it to my own childhood. It was different this time."

"Being a mother really keeps you honest. I strive to be as good a mother as my own. She was so patient and loving. When I went to New York to seek my fortune, she would say, 'It's just a matter of time, honey.'  All my life she told me I was special, and I guess I believed her."