Rooney Mara won't accept a role if she's feeling "moody".
The 'Carol' actress admitted she frequently takes long breaks from her career if her "state of mind" isn't up to working, while at other times she books in back-to-back projects.
She said: "I'm an all or nothing person. I'm very moody and often my decision of whether to take a project depends on my state of mind at the time,
"There are moments in my life where I want to take a year off and not think about acting at all.
"Other times, I'll get excited about something and do three films one after the other."
The 30-year-old star needed a break after filming 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' because it left her in a "dark place".
Explaining why she initially turned down 'Carol', she told LOOK: "I had spent a year working on 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' and was in a dark place.
"I had given everything to that movie and knew there was no way I could do another film at that point."
Rooney is thankful she didn't embark on her acting career until after she had been to college and led a "normal" life, rather than following the path of her older sister, Kate Mara.
She said: "When I Was 11 or 12, it would have been easy for me to follow in my sister's path and work as a child actor.
"But I didn't want to grow up on screen and live on film sets. It's a very artificial place.
"I knew instinctively I would be a much better actor further down the road if I went to college and lived as normal a life as I could."
