Sandra Bullock: Why I Returned to Acting After Split

By Mike Fleeman

12/27/2011 at 05:20 PM EST

Sandra Bullock says that after her 2010 split from husband Jesse James she wondered if she still wanted to rush back into acting again.

"I was perfectly content to be permanently broken," Bullock, 47, tells the Associated Press – then explains that by "broken," she means a break from work.

She adds: "I honestly didn't think I was in a place where I wanted to work or wanted to step out of where I was. ... I wasn't prepared. But the opportunity was louder than my head."

It was director Stephen Daldry's lobbying for her to appear in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close that convinced the Oscar winner to return to movies.



"We had a great time. It's no longer 'selfish actress' in the moment," she says. "I wanted to have an amazing time with him and, fortunately, Mr. Daldry presented it. In every possible way, it was the best!"