She clearly holds fairly strong beliefs on issues (Feminism is a prime example), but at the same time doesn't seem one to push those on other people. She also seems to do her best to avoid the glamorous/publicity/bullshit side of Hollywood life, for the most part letting her work do her speaking for her. But those are just a couple of things that come to mind - mostly, it's just the perception I have accrued over the years from TV interviews and other press, as well as the types of roles she chooses to play (choice of roles is an interesting insight into actors' characters - once they reach a stage where clearly they have freedom to choose any type of role they want).