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- “Art is theft, art is armed robbery, art is not pleasing your mother.” — Janet Malcolm
- “I’m one of those people who thinks you can have a happy life and still be an artist.” — Shelley Duvall
- “There’s a difference between writing about something and living through it. I did both.” — poet/novelist Margaret Walker
- “I believe what Camus says. When the curtain rings down, your job is done.” — Warren Oates
- Physical Media Booklet Essay podcast interview
- “My voice isn’t an instrument I can just hang up on a hook.” — Audra McDonald
- “You can’t be on top all the time. It isn’t natural.” — Olivia de Havilland
- “If I don’t feel it, I can’t play it.” — James Cotton
- “I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.” — Lena Horne
- “But man has always succeeded in rising again.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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Category Archives: Actors
“It’s more about what story I want to be in than what medium.” — Jacqueline McKenzie
I first saw this phenomenal Australian actress (whose birthday it is today) in Romper Stomper in 1992, and she was so intense, so unpredictable, she was on another level. I couldn’t get her out of my head. She made more … Continue reading
Fedelma Cullen: the greatest performance I’ve ever seen
When I was a kid, and my family was in Ireland, my mother took me and 2 of my siblings to a production of A Doll’s House at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Dad stayed home with Siobhan, who was … Continue reading
“Being an actor means being an instrument for someone else. I want to give myself completely.” — Catherine Deneuve
It’s her birthday today. She was great right out of the gate. One of the unique things about her career (and she has few peers here) is that she has regularly been regaled as one of the most beautiful women … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Catherine Deneuve, France, Repulsion, Roman Polanski
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“I hope I’ll die on stage at the age at 105, playing Peter Pan.” — Joan Fontaine
A re-post of the tribute I wrote about Joan Fontaine when she died in December of 2013. She almost made it to her goal. She was 96 years old. It’s her birthday today. While filming “The Women”, in 1939, Joan … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Joan Crawford, Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell
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“If I could make every movie with Richard Linklater, I would.” — Glen Powell
It’s his birthday today. I love it when someone hard-working and deserving becomes the new It-Boy. Correction: Glen Powell isn’t an It-BOY. He is an It-MAN. I love how he seems to be really enjoying his moment, humorous about it, … Continue reading
“If my life wasn’t funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.” — Carrie Fisher
It’s her birthday today. I miss her. Here is the tribute I wrote to Fisher when she died, focusing primarily on her writing. I also reviewed the documentary, Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Thank you … Continue reading
“Acting gives me permission that maybe I don’t give myself in real life.” — Gillian Jacobs
Photography by Mark Segal. Styled by Sally Lyndley. It is her birthday. Hers is my favorite kind of career. It is both modern – she does it all – but it is also a throwback, to the 70s, when quirky … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, On This Day
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“How can a motion picture reflect real life when it is made by people who are living artificial lives?” –Miriam Hopkins
It’s Miriam Hopkins’ birthday today. A famous scene-stealer, her film career was relatively short, but she appeared in some drop-dead classics. There hasn’t been a lot of ink spilled on her, although her fan base is pretty solid. She appeared … Continue reading
“Being known for musicals is a great thing.” — Zac Efron
“It’s weird, but I don’t feel like think I deserve any of the attention. There’s really nothing but one audition for a Disney Channel movie that separates me from 2,000 other brown-haired, blue-eyed guys in L.A., you know?” — Zac … Continue reading
“I watched myself in Red River and I knew I was going to be famous, so I decided I would get drunk anonymously one last time.” – Montgomery Clift
Montgomery Clift on the set of “Red River” (1948) He was right. It’s his birthday today. Such a superb actor. Such an influential career … with such a tragic ending. But still. He inspired a generation. Here’s a link to … Continue reading

