---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're playing Marilyn Monroe, you…"
description: "\"When you're playing Marilyn Monroe, you have a responsibility to look and sound like her that you don't when you're playing people who weren't ever in ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/katherine-waterston-8062_eye_when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-h_1348382.jpg"
---

#  When you're playing Marilyn Monroe, you have a…

![“When you're playing Marilyn Monroe, you have a responsibility to look and sound like her that you don't when you're playing people who weren't ever in the public eye.” quote by Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/katherine-waterston-8062_eye_when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-h_1348382.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/katherine-waterston-8062_eye_when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-h_1348382.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/katherine-waterston-8062_eye_when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-h_1348382.jpg)

> “When you're playing Marilyn Monroe, you have a responsibility to look and sound like her that you don't when you're playing people who weren't ever in the public eye.”

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

## About This Quote

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

Portraying a famous figure demands careful attention to their iconic traits, unlike unknown characters.

**In simple terms:** Play famous roles with authenticity.

Key Takeaway

Study iconic traits for realistic portrayals.

Themes

acting authenticity representation celebrity responsibility

Mood

thoughtful analytical creative

Type

acting performance culture

When to use this quote

- film auditions
- rehearsals
- media interviews

Key Concepts

character study public perception performance ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance homage and personal interpretation?
- What responsibilities come with iconic roles?

A Different Perspective

Risk of imitation over originality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/)

## Related quotes

> [We have that responsibility to look out for those who haven't had the road and the success that we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-jenkins/we-have-that-responsibility-to-look-out-for-those-who-haven-t-had-the/)

[Malcolm Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-jenkins/)

> [It is the artist's responsibility to be the oracle, to abstract where you are - that is our responsibility - we're not there to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gerrard/it-is-the-artist-s-responsibility-to-be-the-oracle-to-abstract-where/)

[Lisa Gerrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gerrard/)

> [We have a responsibility to look after our planet. It is our only home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-have-a-responsibility-to-look-after-our-planet-it-is-our-only-home/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [Whoever knows me is aware that I always assume responsibility and look for solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-laporta/whoever-knows-me-is-aware-that-i-always-assume-responsibility-and/)

[Joan Laporta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-laporta/)

> [In Hollywood, you feel a responsibility to look less disheveled than you are. But I'm a mom, and I'm not good at putting time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isla-fisher/in-hollywood-you-feel-a-responsibility-to-look-less-disheveled-than/)

[Isla Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isla-fisher/)

> [Working together, they will dig out the truth and nothing but the truth about what happened in '99, to assign responsibility, and to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ramos-horta/working-together-they-will-dig-out-the-truth-and-nothing-but-the/)

[Jose Ramos-Horta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ramos-horta/)

> [As a science-fiction writer, I feel my responsibility is to look ahead and see the dangers of what might happen and try to warn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/as-a-science-fiction-writer-i-feel-my-responsibility-is-to-look-ahead/)

[Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/)

> [“It is our responsibility to look for meaning in life, even in the darkest times, and whatever the circumstances we always have a vestige…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/it-is-our-responsibility-to-look-for-meaning-in-life-even-in-the/)

[Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/)

> [I have a responsibility to not look crazy in public. I don't want to be the person where later in life when I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raven-symone/i-have-a-responsibility-to-not-look-crazy-in-public-i-don-t-want-to/)

[Raven-Symone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raven-symone/)

> [Being on camera, you have a responsibility to look good. If you don't, you'll hear about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lopez/being-on-camera-you-have-a-responsibility-to-look-good-if-you-don-t/)

[Jennifer Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lopez/)

> [Playing regular first-team football is a massive carrot as I have been in the reserves for two or three years. I'm used to playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-longstaff/playing-regular-first-team-football-is-a-massive-carrot-as-i-have/)

[Sean Longstaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-longstaff/)

> [I just like playing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-marsay/i-just-like-playing-people/)

[Faye Marsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-marsay/)

> [“The key to success is playing to people’s strengths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blair-singer/the-key-to-success-is-playing-to-people-s-strengths/)

[Blair Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blair-singer/)

> [I love playing people who say things that you would never say to people in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-grossman/i-love-playing-people-who-say-things-that-you-would-never-say-to/)

[Leslie Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-grossman/)

> [When you're used to playing with people, when you're in a band, then you're used to playing with each other. People nowadays aren't used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bootsy-collins/when-you-re-used-to-playing-with-people-when-you-re-in-a-band-then/)

[Bootsy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bootsy-collins/)

## More by Katherine Waterston

> [I generally don't like to talk too much about the character unless I feel stuck or in some trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-generally-don-t-like-to-talk-too-much-about-the-character-unless-i/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [What's comforting about coming from a family of actors is I don't have to explain the struggle. I can just sigh to my sister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/what-s-comforting-about-coming-from-a-family-of-actors-is-i-don-t/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [I think everything happens organically. You mine for clues. It's all immersive, and stuff you can use comes out of that immersion. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-think-everything-happens-organically-you-mine-for-clues-it-s-all/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [I don't think Paul Thomas Anderson has a standard approach to anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-don-t-think-paul-thomas-anderson-has-a-standard-approach-to-anything/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [There are people who have really high expectations for what we're doing. I have to not think about that so that I can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/there-are-people-who-have-really-high-expectations-for-what-we-re/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [I have been a scrappy actor for 10-plus years, and when you're playing supporting roles, your relationship with the costume designer is very different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-have-been-a-scrappy-actor-for-10-plus-years-and-when-you-re-playing/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [There's something particular about the way Los Angeles feels in the summertime. It slows down and is hazy and dreamy, and you can put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/there-s-something-particular-about-the-way-los-angeles-feels-in-the/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [ What I love about the way they both \[Paul Thomas Anderson and Joaquin Phoenix\] work is that all of the monkey business is on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/what-i-love-about-the-way-they-both-paul-thomas-anderson-and-joaquin/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [Obviously, as an actor, you have to embrace your imagination all the time, but when you're doing one of these films, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/obviously-as-an-actor-you-have-to-embrace-your-imagination-all-the/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [I've always wanted to play the villain. But the young girl is never the villain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-ve-always-wanted-to-play-the-villain-but-the-young-girl-is-never/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [We live in such hypersexualised yet totally prudish times. People have this expectation about everyone else's relationship to their own bodies.'Surely you must have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/we-live-in-such-hypersexualised-yet-totally-prudish-times-people-have/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [The minute you get cast, you worry they've made the most terrible mistake. There's a really awkward stage between being hired and doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/the-minute-you-get-cast-you-worry-they-ve-made-the-most-terrible/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [I dont think Paul Thomas Anderson has a standard approach to anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-dont-think-paul-thomas-anderson-has-a-standard-approach-to-anything/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [Ive always wanted to play the villain. But the young girl is never the villain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/ive-always-wanted-to-play-the-villain-but-the-young-girl-is-never-the/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

> [There's kind of no rhyme or reason to what is appealing to any given actor. It just is, or it isn't. It's kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/there-s-kind-of-no-rhyme-or-reason-to-what-is-appealing-to-any-given/)

[Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

[Explore all 84 Katherine Waterston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/)

## More Eye quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/)

[Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/)

> [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/)

[Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/)

[Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/)

> [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/)

[Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [Quotations can be valuable, like raisins in the rice pudding, for adding iron as well as eye appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/quotations-can-be-valuable-like-raisins-in-the-rice-pudding-for/)

[Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/)

> [Clearly, when we baptize, our eyes should gaze beyond the baptismal font to the holy temple. The great garner into which the sheaves should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/clearly-when-we-baptize-our-eyes-should-gaze-beyond-the-baptismal/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/)

[Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/)

> [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/)

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

> [It lies around us like a cloud- A world we do not see; Yet the sweet closing of an eye May bring us there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/it-lies-around-us-like-a-cloud-a-world-we-do-not-see-yet-the-sweet/)

[Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/)

[Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/)

> [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

Browse all 16,237 Eye quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When you're playing Marilyn Monroe, you have a responsibility to look and sound like her that you don't when you're playing people who weren't ever in the public eye.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Katherine Waterston"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-have-a-responsibility-to-look/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Eye"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-have-a-responsibility-to-look/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/katherine-waterston-8062_eye_when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-h_1348382.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/katherine-waterston-8062_eye_when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-h_1348382.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/katherine-waterston-8062_eye_when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-h_1348382.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you're playing Marilyn Monroe, you have a responsibility to look and sound like her that you don't when…” — Katherine Waterston",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Katherine Waterston",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you're playing Marilyn Monroe, you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-have-a-responsibility-to-look/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/when-you-re-playing-marilyn-monroe-you-have-a-responsibility-to-look/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
