Dying of Politeness: A Memoir

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I was excited to read this book. One of the reasons I love reading memoirs is because I'm fascinated by people who are completely different from me and in the last 3 or so years I've really become interested the memoirs of actresses. When I heard Geena Davis was releasing a memoir, I was instantly interested. To be honest I had never given Geena Davis a second thought. In 2011, Davis became one of a handful of celebrities attached to USAID and Ad Council's FWD campaign, an awareness initiative tied to that year's East Africa drought. She joined Uma Thurman, Chanel Iman and Josh Hartnett in television and internet ads to "forward the facts" about the crisis. [78] Athletics [ edit ]

You talked about these childhood superstitions and phobias, but there was a specific situation that was very traumatic during your adolescence: being molested by a man on your paper route. How did you handle reliving that experience while writing the book?In this memoir, she tells stories of meeting the supremely independent and sharp-shooting Susan Sarandon, the Louise to her Thelma; of her spontaneous Las Vegas wedding to Jeff Goldblum; of her archery exploits which led her to the Olympic trials; and of how she became a tireless advocate for women and girls, founding her own institute which engages film and TV creators to better represent women.

You also had this Marilyn Munster quality—you would be in movies that were fantastical and bizarre, but you would be the relatable, ordinary one for the audience to latch onto.WELL, I am usually not a big fan of memoirs, yet this one caught my eye and so I started it. Even though I started it with a negative mindset, I have to say that I soon changed my mind. I really, really enjoyed this. Ms. Davis has always been one of my favorite actors, she is just so freakin' cute!

In July 1999, Davis was one of 300 women who vied for a semifinals berth in the U.S. Olympic archery team to participate in the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. [79] [5] She placed 24th and did not qualify for the team, but participated as a wild-card entry in the Sydney International Golden Arrow competition. [80] In August 1999, she stated that she was not an athlete growing up and that she entered archery in 1997, two years before her tryouts. [79] Filmography [ edit ] Film [ edit ] Year I had a very clear plan in mind, because I knew I wanted to be in movies rather than plays. Most of my college classmates wanted to be in theatre, and so almost en masse we moved to New York. Nobody told me that if you want to be in movies, you should probably go to L.A. So my plan was: I would become a model, and then people would just offer me movies, because at that time Lauren Hutton was showing up in a couple of movies. I thought, O.K., so I just need to become famous as a model to get in movies—because it’s so much easier to become a supermodel than an actor! Saturn Awards | 1986". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006 . Retrieved October 26, 2021. I think about that, too. It really is mostly women. Like Anjelica Huston I think of sometimes. She’s a genius. Where is she in movies? Michelle Pfeiffer, too. She’s been in some good things [recently], but it’s always seemed just tragic to me. I have a theory about why it happens. I think many male screenwriters put a female character in if they need to—a girlfriend or a daughter or whatever—and then, when they’re casting all the other roles in their minds, the go-to is always male. And so the really cool parts for people in their forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, whatever, always go to men. It’s not fair, because they get to soldier on and have ever-younger co-stars. I always say, “Go through and figure out who could be female, or who could be a person of color, and change the first name.” I said at one point to my agent, “Can we find out what Liam Neeson is turning down and go for those parts?” Rawson, Christopher (July 9, 1991). " 'Birdie gets a 'Burgher". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved January 12, 2022.Modeling helped Davis book her first acting gig, a part in the Academy Award-winning 1982 film Tootsie, which in turn opened many other doors. Davis says each of her films has taught her something — and she's no longer bogged down by that self-critical voice in her head. Earl, William (September 12, 2022). "Geena Davis Institute Wins Governors Award, Actor Says 'There's More Work to Do' for Gender Equality". Variety . Retrieved September 18, 2022. Geena Davis – Premi David di Donatello"[Geena Davis – David di Donatello Awards] (in Italian). Accademia del Cinema Italiano . Retrieved October 25, 2021.

Maslin, Janet (December 18, 1991). "Film Critics Honor 'Silence of Lambs' ". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 12, 2011 . Retrieved October 26, 2021. After reading this memoir I'm planning on watching more of her movies...I'll probably give Thelma & Louise another try as well.The Independent Spirit Awards just announced that they’re doing away with gendered acting categories. This has come up with awards shows, to account for trans or nonbinary actors. But, at the same time, people say that if you do away with all-female categories, it could be dominated by men. I’m curious if you have any opinion on that.