Katherine Heigl speaks her mind

updated 2:01 p.m. ET July 15, 2009

On being honest…
"Now I've got this moniker that I'm the foot-in-mouth gal, and I keep thinking, In what way? Because I said something you don't agree with? Because I said something you don't like? I'm just telling you my opinion. I hate the idea that I can't be honest about how I feel about things because it's going to piss somebody off who feels differently. That seems preposterous to me."

On ‘R’ ratings…
"I know this is going to sound bad but I'm really glad [Ugly Truth is rated] R. I didn't want to do another PG-13 movie. [In any real-life contentious relationship with romantic underpinnings] you're probably going to drop the F-bomb once in a while. You're probably going to say some things that are kind of harsh. And you're definitely going to talk about sex. It doesn't have to be so Snow White and Prince Charming."

On making movies she loves…
"Studios love stories about the man or woman who has had nothing happen to them other than their own bad choices. I'm much more passionate about the people who survive not the choices they've made but the s--- that comes down in life that you have no control over. People who lose children or suffer great illnesses or disease and yet manage to come out of those experiences still passionate about life and joyful and grateful to be alive. Those are the stories I really want to tell."

On living life despite tragedy…
"Here's the deal: This is what my family and I have been through [her older brother died in a car accident and her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer], and although we're not perfect, we are survivors… No one in my family ever said, 'Life's not worth living because this happened or that happened to me.' It's always worth living, and living well."

David Slijper / InStyle “If I know I'm not going to be comfortable in a slinky dress, I'll wear a black suit,” Katherine Heigl said.

On knowing what you want…
"It's hard — I think women have to struggle to define themselves, to find what they want. I keep telling my friends, seriously, write down what you want and make it specific. Like, I'm talking, do you want a beach house in Venice? Be specific and be creative and define not only what you want in your career but what you want in your personal life."

On smoking…
"I'm ashamed of myself, it's so stupid."

On getting lucky in love…
"In my early 20s, I didn't know who I was or what I wanted… I was fed up with trying to be somebody else, and got really lucky and met a great guy who loved me for me."

On pleasing herself…
"Sometimes I'll wear dark nail polish, but [my husband] Josh doesn't like it. That's just gonna have to be too bad."

Pick up the August issue of InStyle on newsstands July 17.