If you can actually get someone to sit on the edge of their seat and feel nervous if there's a knock at the door, then you've done something pretty terrific as a writer.
Joanne HarrisRead
People think that if you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I only care about acting, I think beauty can be a great handicap.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Vivien Leigh suggests that conventional beauty may hinder one's ability to perform authentically, as it can lead to preconceived notions about a person's capabilities.
In this quote, Vivien Leigh expresses her belief that societal perceptions of beauty can interfere with a person's true potential, particularly in the realm of acting. She argues that when people focus on outer appearances, they may overlook the talent and depth that lie within, thus beauty can be seen as a disadvantage in her profession. This highlights the conflict between superficial judgments and genuine artistic expression.
Themes
BeautyActingPerceptionTalentHandicap
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a discussion about the pressures of physical appearance in the entertainment industry.
Similar quotes
Fiction becomes a weird way to countenance yourself and to tell the truth instead of being a way to escape yourself or present yourself in a way you figure you will be maximally likable.
David Foster WallaceRead
Holding up my purring cat to the moon. I sighed.
Jack KerouacRead
If writers just sit and talk about oppression, they are not going to do much writing.
V. S. NaipaulRead
Someone once wrote that a novel should deliver a series of small astonishments. I get the same thing spending an hour with you.
E. LockhartRead
The enemies of acting are mood and attitude and other general homogenized disruptive entities. Whereas acting is about action - doing - and unless you can figure out a way to craft in an imaginative reality to which you don't submit, you're going to be out of control. You'll flip out. The job is to be surprised.
William HurtRead