Quotes

[explaining how she proved she dubbed her own voice in Singin' in the Rain (1952)] They didn't believe me when I told them I did - until I gave them samples. But I finally convinced them that I was the blonde, not-so-bright movie queen whose squeaky voice was not okay for sound.

When I told a group of interviewers that my favorite role, before Singin' was in Asphalt Jungle, they wanted to know what part I played. I told them there were only two girl roles. And I obviously wasn't Marilyn Monroe.

I knew from the time I saw my first movie that I wanted to be an actress, but like the average high school student, I would have been afraid of ridicule if I had admitted it.

Our high school dramatic coach was newly out of college, in tune with high school students, a perceptive human being, and a resourceful teacher. . . One day he said to me, "You're planning to be an actress, aren't you?" I gulped and tried to hide my terrible eagerness. "You'll be a good one," he observed matter-of-factly. "Don't be shy about it. It's a job, like anything else: keeping books, keeping house, nursing, or teaching. Be a good workman and you'll get along fine." I hope that this teacher knows now that it was he who started me on the road to an Academy Award nomination, last year, for Singin' in the Rain (1952).

[1950] I've been wonderfully lucky as I've done five interesting roles in a row.

No one knew I was in pictures! When I was asked, "Do you work?" and I said, "Yes, I'm an actress," people replied, "Oh, really. Have we seen any of your pictures?" If I answered, Singin' in the Rain (1952), they said, "Oh, we don't remember you in that." And, if I said The Asphalt Jungle (1950), they said, "Well, now . . . we don't remember you in that, either - what part did you say you played?" My answer to that was: "I wasn't Marilyn Monroe!"