What bothered me was playing one-dimensional parts in films which were really about, 'Boy Meets Girl,' 'Will Boy Get Girl?'
Olivia De HavillandRead
Playing good girls in the '30s was difficult, when the fad was to play bad girls. Actually I think playing bad girls is a bore; I have always had more luck with good girl roles because they require more from an actress.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the challenge of portraying good characters in a time when bad characters were more popular, emphasizing the depth required for good roles.
Olivia De Havilland discusses the challenges she faced as an actress in the 1930s, a period when the trend favored the portrayal of bad girls over good ones. She highlights her preference for playing good girls, arguing that these roles are more complex and demand greater skill from the actress, thus showcasing her belief in the value of artistry over mere trends.
Themes
Good GirlsRolesActressHollywoodArtistryComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the evolution of female roles in cinema, one might quote Olivia De Havilland to emphasize the importance of strong character portrayal.
More from Olivia De Havilland
All quotes →Similar quotes
But that's not what an actor does. An actor finds things in the moment with a director and other actors that you don't have time to hand-draw or animate with a computer.
Andy SerkisRead
A minute of perfection was worth the effort. A moment was the most you could ever expect from perfection.
Chuck PalahniukRead
There is this looking at the world as shapes and patterns and colors that have meaning, and you can't deny the superficial because the superficial is what meets the eye.
Wolfgang TillmansRead
There are two kinds of writers; the great ones who can give you truths, and the lessor ones, who can only give you themselves.
Clifton FadimanRead
Photographs may be more memorable than moving images, because they are a neat slice of time, not a flow. Each still photograph is a privileged moment turned into a slim object that one can keep and look at again.
Susan SontagRead
An artist is a man who says a difficult thing in a simple way
Charles BukowskiRead