---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [On being asked, 'Did you ever say that…"
description: "\"[On being asked, 'Did you ever say that an actress needs to be able to laugh and to cry and that when you need to laugh you think of your sex life and ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/glenda-jackson-10384_able_on-being-asked-did-you-ever-say-that-an_869257.jpg"
---

#  \[On being asked, 'Did you ever say that an actress needs…

![“[On being asked, 'Did you ever say that an actress needs to be able to laugh and to cry and that when you need to laugh you think of your sex life and when you need to cry you think of your sex life?':] No.” quote by Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/glenda-jackson-10384_able_on-being-asked-did-you-ever-say-that-an_869257.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/glenda-jackson-10384_able_on-being-asked-did-you-ever-say-that-an_869257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/glenda-jackson-10384_able_on-being-asked-did-you-ever-say-that-an_869257.jpg)

> “\[On being asked, 'Did you ever say that an actress needs to be able to laugh and to cry and that when you need to laugh you think of your sex life and when you need to cry you think of your sex life?':\] No.”

[Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

An actress should not rely on personal sexual experiences for emotional performance.

**In simple terms:** Acting requires separate emotional sources.

Key Takeaway

Develop craft without personal trauma.

Themes

acting emotional truth professionalism

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

educational reflective

When to use this quote

- theatre
- film
- character development

Key Concepts

performance method acting

Questions to Reflect On

- How can actors access emotion responsibly?
- What boundaries protect mental health?

A Different Perspective

Personal experiences can still inform art.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Actress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actress/) [Actress Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actress-needs-934647/) [Actresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actresses/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Laugh Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-think-401724/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Need Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-laugh-352651/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Say Actress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-actress-586869/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sex life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex-life/) [Think of you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-of-you/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

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> [The important thing in acting is to be able to laugh and cry. If I have to cry, I think of my sex life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/the-important-thing-in-acting-is-to-be-able-to-laugh-and-cry-if-i/)

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> [When I have to cry, I think about my love life. When I have to laugh, I think about my love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/when-i-have-to-cry-i-think-about-my-love-life-when-i-have-to-laugh-i/)

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> [I don't want my tombstone to say actress. I want it to say human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/i-don-t-want-my-tombstone-to-say-actress-i-want-it-to-say-human-being/)

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> [I would say only be an actress if you genuinely feel the calling, because it's a tough profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomie-harris/i-would-say-only-be-an-actress-if-you-genuinely-feel-the-calling/)

[Naomie Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomie-harris/)

> [I do get clocked in the street. People say, 'You're an actress, aren't you?' But they don't know my name. Nine times out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-manville/i-do-get-clocked-in-the-street-people-say-you-re-an-actress-aren-t/)

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> [When people say, 'If you could do anything else, what would you do?' I would be an actress. That's something that I would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imani-hakim/when-people-say-if-you-could-do-anything-else-what-would-you-do-i/)

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> [From my perspective, I would say as an actress, I'm like a warrior too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-yifei/from-my-perspective-i-would-say-as-an-actress-i-m-like-a-warrior-too/)

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> [You have to know what you're doing, you have to be experienced. You can't just say, 'I'm an actress in 'Scott & Bailey,' I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-sharp/you-have-to-know-what-you-re-doing-you-have-to-be-experienced-you-can/)

[Lesley Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-sharp/)

> [I listen to so much music every day, so that's such a big part of my life. To be able to pursue that and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerris-dorsey/i-listen-to-so-much-music-every-day-so-that-s-such-a-big-part-of-my/)

[Kerris Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerris-dorsey/)

> [There's nothing I dislike more than being in a photo shoot where they say, 'Be yourself.' That's not why I became an actress. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/there-s-nothing-i-dislike-more-than-being-in-a-photo-shoot-where-they/)

[Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/)

> [Well my taste wasn't very good when I first started out. But later, when I began to appreciate the art of acting, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-burstyn/well-my-taste-wasn-t-very-good-when-i-first-started-out-but-later/)

[Ellen Burstyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-burstyn/)

## More by Glenda Jackson

> [I studiously avoid any academic dissections of the play and any kind of previous experience of playing. For me, it's all in the play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/i-studiously-avoid-any-academic-dissections-of-the-play-and-any-kind/)

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> [I look forward to growing old and wise and audacious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/i-look-forward-to-growing-old-and-wise-and-audacious/)

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> [You don't do a play to compete for an award. This was the argument I always had over the Oscars. I didn't win them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/you-don-t-do-a-play-to-compete-for-an-award-this-was-the-argument-i/)

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> [Nobody really needs a mink coat... Except the mink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/nobody-really-needs-a-mink-coat-except-the-mink/)

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> [Why put make-up on when you only have to take it off again?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/why-put-make-up-on-when-you-only-have-to-take-it-off-again/)

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> [You'd think is something one would grow out of. But you grow into it. The more you do, the more you realize how painfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/you-d-think-is-something-one-would-grow-out-of-but-you-grow-into-it/)

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> [My job is to see the world through the character's eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/my-job-is-to-see-the-world-through-the-character-s-eyes/)

[Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/)

> [No, I'm not recognized in London. What would people recognize?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/no-i-m-not-recognized-in-london-what-would-people-recognize/)

[Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/)

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> [I'm the world's worst bearer of grudges. I'm sure I'll be bearing grudges and paying off old scores on my death-bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/i-m-the-world-s-worst-bearer-of-grudges-i-m-sure-i-ll-be-bearing/)

[Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/)

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[Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/)

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