I’m not afraid of failure anymore

“I’m not afraid of failure anymore–I guess because we’re such old friends by now, you know? Failure and I see each other now and just nod and get comfortable. What I mean is that my education as an actress and as a person is very dependent on those failures: What I learned; how I accepted it; how I moved on. And when I say failure, I was still working with great people on important plays with noble themes. I was often best in the failures, God knows. I hear all the time now how horrible the failures are, that the closing of a show is like a death, and this is stupid thinking. Really stupid. You can’t judge yourself or your career or the theatre by a mistake made by a critic or a lack of judgment on the part of producers or the lack of interest in audiences. My failures taught me to love the work and what it taught and gave me. My failures made me strong. Love all of it is what I’m saying, if you’ll bear with me. Love the openings and the closings, the glitter and the shit. Love it all.”–Colleen Dewhurst/Interview with James Grissom/1990/

Follies of God