There's a famous story about an Oscar-winning Hollywood actress in the mid-1960s who was being considered for the title role in a feature film with a rookie director. The actress, who had just won her second Oscar, was asked by the rookie director to come in for both an audition and a screen test. The actress's agent told the rookie director that his client was an award winning actress and didn't take screen tests -- her work in film should suffice. The rookie director was adamant that all actresses auditioning for his film take the screen test. The actress's agent balked. The actress, however, asked the agent to set up a meeting with said rookie director. The rookie director set the meeting up in his office.
When the actress was announced, the rookie director asked her to be sent in as he sat, self-important, behind his desk. The actress walked in dressed to the nines carrying a large handled shopping bag. She says hello and takes a seat opposite the director setting the shopping bag on the floor next to her. Then, without letting him speak, she leans down to her shopping bag, reaches in, pulls out her two Oscar statuettes and sets them atop his desk.
"Some people in this town think I can act," she says, then takes the statues and puts them back into the shopping bag from whence they cam. With that, the actress stands up and without saying another word walks out of the rookie director's office leaving him to think about his what has just happened.
The actress's name was Shelly Winters.
She will be missed.
(This story is Hollywood legend -- whether it's true or not, we may never know...)
hmmmmmmmmm...dunno. it's hollywood folklore so whole story could be mae up, but if she DID get the part it would be in the film following her win for "patch of blue"
Posted by: aaron elvis | Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at 04:31 PM
great story. loved shelley. i posted about her too http://emptybeach.typepad.com/rwilliamsdotorg/
what movie was it, i wonder?
Posted by: rob | Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at 12:02 PM