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I say to myself, 'I don't know how to act - and why does anybody want to look at me on-screen anymore?' ... Lots of actors feel that way. What gives you strength is also your weakness - your raging insecurity.
Meryl Streep
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Insecurity can drive creativity, but it can also be a source of doubt.

Meryl Streep's quote reflects the duality of an actor's experience, highlighting how insecurity can be both a motivating force and a crippling weakness. She acknowledges that many actors share this feeling of uncertainty about their talents and appeal, suggesting that the very traits that fuel their passion may also hinder their confidence.

Themes

InsecurityActorsStrengthWeaknessCreativity

In practice

Example use cases

During an acting workshop while discussing performance anxieties.

More from Meryl Streep

My advice: Don't waste so much time worrying about your skin or your weight. Develop what you do, what you put your hands on in the world.
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Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.
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I believe in imagination. I did Kramer vs Kramer before I had children. But the mother I would be was already inside me.
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I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities.
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Service is the only thing that's important about love. Everybody is worried about 'losing yourself' - all this narcissism. Duty. We can't stand that idea now either... But duty might be a suit of armor you put on to fight for your love.
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Integrate what you believe in every single area of your life. Take your heart to work and ask the most and best of everybody else, too.
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