I'm thirty-six years old. I'm just getting started!
This industry should behave like a mother whose child has just run out in front of a car. But instead of clasping the child to them, they start punishing the child. Like you don't dare get a cold. How dare you get a cold! I mean, the executives can get colds and stay home forever and phone it in, but how dare you, the actor, get a cold or a virus. You know, no one feels worse than the one who's sick. I sometimes wish, gee, I wish they had to act a comedy with a temperature and a virus infection.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote criticizes the entertainment industry for being unsympathetic to the hardships actors face while being more lenient with executives.
In this quote, Marilyn Monroe highlights the harsh realities of the entertainment industry, where actors are often held to unrealistic expectations regarding their health and performance. She draws a poignant analogy of a mother protecting her child to illustrate the lack of compassion shown by the industry, suggesting that while executives can take breaks for their well-being, actors are unfairly penalized for their own health issues, underscoring the need for greater empathy and understanding in the workplace.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of compassion in the workplace.
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Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world.
You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself.
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