Cancer does give you a new rejuvenation. I know what it's like to be down. I lost a couple of good friends - Larry Hagman and Nick Ashford - who had the same type of cancer that I did, and that makes you think.
Kirk DouglasRead
I'm an actor; I have made my living by acting, and I almost think I owe it to the public to express my feelings and not as a character on a screen but as myself.
Interpretation
Kirk Douglas emphasizes the importance of authentic expression, separating his personal feelings from his acting roles.
In this quote, Kirk Douglas articulates his belief in the responsibility of an actor to convey their true self to the audience, rather than only portraying fictional characters. He suggests that there is a value in sharing his genuine emotions and thoughts with the public, contributing to a deeper connection between the artist and their audience.
In practice
During a speech at a film festival discussing the impact of art on society.
Cancer does give you a new rejuvenation. I know what it's like to be down. I lost a couple of good friends - Larry Hagman and Nick Ashford - who had the same type of cancer that I did, and that makes you think.
Too often, I have not been what I wanted to be; I've succumbed to pressures. Yes, I have. The things I've done that I liked, I've always done against advice.
I didn't start out to be a movie star. I started out to be an actor.
People are composed of many things, and in my work, what influences me is the complexity of people - the chiaroscuro of dark and light. When I play a strong guy, I try to find, where is he weak? And, conversely, when I play a weak guy, where is he strong?
When you have a stroke, you must talk slowly to be understood, and I've discovered that when I talk slowly, people listen. They think I'm going to say something important!
My four sons all knew I was a Jew, but they were allowed to be whatever they wanted to be. The only thing important to me was that they be good people who help other people, because all religion should try to make you a better person and a more caring person. Whenever religion does that for you, it's a good religion.
There are professions more harmful than industrial design, but only a few.
The poet, like the lover, is a menace on the assembly line.
I think there's a difference between a working actor, a movie star and a celebrity. They're all three different things.
I write screenplays in the middle of the night.
Simple ingredients, treated with respect... put them together and you will always have a great dish.
I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry; that is, prose = words in their best order; - poetry = the best words in the best order.
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