Joan Chen comments about first seeing “Edward Scissorhands” in 1990: “It was unique cinema that felt like pure magic. The bizarre beauty of the film and the gentle hero with his lethally sharp scissorhands stayed with me through out the years. “Looking back, after almost 20 years, I now understand better the fierce longing and [...]
Bryce Dallas Howard portrays the “unapologetic” Fisher Willow in The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, from a screenplay by Tennessee Williams. Howard says “The Hollywood scene, these parties, freak me out. I’ve never had a sip of alcohol in my life. I wasn’t interested in losing control. “There was alcoholism in my family, so I [...]
Evan Rachel Wood says, “I used to not even be able to order pizza on the phone because I was just so shy.” She thinks acting allows so much to come out on-screen, “because that’s my time to let go in a safe place.” Scarlett Johansson has noted that sensitivity can have a dark side: [...]
Our personal identity – and how confident we are with it – can have a huge impact on our esteem and how fully we express our talents. Here are some quotes from the article: Ian McKellen reflects on ‘The Prisoner,’ Gandalf and gay rights, By Matea Gold, The Los Angeles Times. In his view, Hollywood [...]
Amanda Seyfried says she was obsessive as a little girl. “I would have to be really organized—too organized. Things like straightening my room didn’t feel right to me; I’d have to redo it and redo it.” She thinks, “that kind of anxiety in me, that obsession, was helpful. I use it in my acting. It’s [...]
Being told who you are “You can’t be yourself because you’re always being judged.” That is a line from “Ellie Parker” about an actress trying to get a start in Los Angeles, played by Naomi Watts, who also produced the film. That sort of uncertainty of identity and insecurity affects many artists on the way [...]
Escape into comedy Amanda Bynes began professionally acting at the age of seven, and at age thirteen became the star of her own tv series The Amanda Show. Bynes says she understands the feeling of being an outsider, one of the themes of the film “Hairspray” – in which she plays Penny [photo]. “I grew [...]
In the new Interview magazine, Director James Mangold and Liv Tyler have a stimulating conversation on many aspects of excellence in acting, especially being vulnerable and authentic. James Mangold: “There are some actors who, when they feel insecure in a scene, will just turn up the volume or the energy to try to electrocute themselves. [...]
Rainn Wilson radiates confidence Rainn Wilson discovered acting in a high school drama class, then moved to New York to study in NYU’s Graduate Acting Program, notes a new Los Angeles Times article [Revenge of the nerd, By Fred Schruers, March 22, 2007], and “filled the next decade with theater work, including Shakespeare and off-Broadway, [...]
Although being in a career that involves more attention than most, actor Melanie Lynskey admits she doesn’t like it, and has always been shy. “I hate when people look at me! I hate having my picture taken. I don’t like being the center of attention. It makes me anxious. I think a lot of actors [...]
Jackie Earle Haley on insecurity Jackie Earle Haley just achieved an Oscar nom for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Todd Field’s “Little Children.” His reaction was enthusiastic: “Jubilation. Pure unbelievable joy. This is a day of all days.” Fellow “Children” nominee Kate Winslet recalled his audition for the director: “We [...]
“Actors are rogues and vagabonds. Or they ought to be. I can’t stand it when they behave like solicitors from Penge. … I’m a would-be rebel. The good girl who’d like to be a bad one.” Helen Mirren [imdb.com, unknown date] But being “bad” [at least in a good way, not self- or socially-destructive] can [...]
Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood [“Running with Scissors”] recalls getting beat up in elementary school for being an actor. “I think it was because my SAG card fell out of my bag, and [the kids] asked what it was and I explained to them, and no more than ten minutes later I was getting [...]
Lisa Kudrow was recently up for an Emmy for her role as Valerie Cherish in “The Comeback.” Kudrow has commented, “She’s not based on any one person in particular, it’s more about people who have their goals and their sights on the wrong thing. This is about a woman who has a husband and a [...]
Claire Danes on wanting acceptance Claire Danes admits that when she was growing up, she “wanted desperately to please, to be a good girl. I wanted acceptance. I still do.” Like many artists, she sought acceptance in renown: “A part of me desired fame because I associated it with love. That was a total mistake. [...]
Kate Bosworth – always learning Kate Bosworth [photo from "Superman Returns"] thinks “all actors are insecure.. I certainly am… I think almost all artists are insecure. I don’t ever watch myself and think, ‘That was great, I hit it out of the park!’ Never… “One of the things I love most about this job is [...]
Shy since childhood Clea DuVall has referred to herself as “an only child and I’m just a real loner kind of person, and yeah, kinda dark. But I’m happy. Not sad. I’m just shy and nervous.” Like many other talented actors, she considers herself shy. Maybe acting – playing other people – is a way [...]
Ian McKellen on timing Ian McKellen admits in a recent article that it has taken time and life experience to develop the self-confidence that now helps fuel his dynamic roles. “Suppose it had been me who played Tom Jones [1963], not Albert Finney?” he said. “There was never any question of me playing those sorts [...]
Cherry Jones Cherry Jones [left], earned a Tony nomination for her acting in a stage production of A Moon for the Misbegotten [2002] but was “nearly paralyzed by a profound case of stage fright” according to a Time Out New York article. She said it was from “Living up to the greatest performance I have [...]
The enemy of art Commenting about her feelings this morning and her best-actress Oscar nomination for “Transamerica,” Felicity Huffman [left, as Bree in the film] said, “I woke up in fear and anxiety – which I know is the enemy of art, and in general.” [CNN Showbiz Tonight Feb 13 2006] Nicole Kidman admits, “Every [...]
Mainstream film/tv studios are considered a “boys’ club” with good reason: they usually make story and casting decisions based on adolescent male values [eg fast action, violence, t&a] – not exactly high spiritual or creative ideals. Casting often excludes and limits actors with talent. Indira Varma Indira Varma [“Bride & Prejudice” etc] notes in the [...]
Maybe all of us need to alter our feelings and state of mind at times. Mountain climbing, skydiving, yoga, using drugs and alcohol are all ways, as noted by psychologist David Duncan in his article Human’s Need To Alter Consciousness. [This is an article on a huge addiction research and treatment site that I am [...]
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