Crawford Interview
I love people |
I've been asked if I ever go around and disguise. Never! I Think disguise is corny. I love people. If you're earned a position, be proud of it. Don't hide it. I want to be recognized. When I hear people say, “There's Joan Crawford!” I tuned around and say , “Hi! How are you?” It's a lovely feeling. You see, people in the theatre get their applause after each act. In movies, we never hear it. Being recognized in public is our applause and it's silly to pretend not to enjoy it–and to feel very grateful for it.
Good morning, Miss Garbo |
Greta Garbo is a sad exception to this feeling. I thing she's missed a great deal, and I'm sorry. I adore this woman–I have tremendous admiration for her, and tremendous compassion. We had dressing rooms next to each other for seventeen years at M-G-M. It was the greatest joy of my life when I heard we were going to make a picture together– Grand Hotel . But we had no scenes together. Every morning as I passed her door I'd say timidly, “Good morning, Miss Garbo.” She never replied. I would scuttle shyly past to the set. Finally, one morning, I gave up. I didn't say anything. That day she came out of her dressing room and said brightly, “Gud morning!”
A meeting in Crawford's dressing room |
This broke the ice–or at least made a slight crack in it. She was finally persuaded, five years later, by George Cukor to come and have tea with me in my portable dressing room. I had my best dishes out and the tea was brewing and I told Richard Boleslavsky, the director, “Now when she comes over, you'll have to take a break or shoot somebody else's close-ups–because I wouldn't miss this meeting for anything in the world.”
She came in, very timidly, and looked around. It happened that I had the only dressing room with a john, so my opening remark to this magical person was, “I have a john. Do you?” “No!” she said “Where?” I opened it up and pulled the little seat out. “Oh,” she said, “that's luvvly, luvvly!” in that wonderful deep voice of hers. Friends, then, we had our tea. But I never saw her again.
Miss Garbo isn't lonely |
Perhaps Miss Garbo isn't lonely, as so many people think, but has learned to use solitude. It can be so valuable as a time to grow, and to perceive things with all your senses. To read and to take a measure of yourself and know where you're going and why. I cherish the times–and they're rare–when I can lock the doors, turn off the phones, and settle down with my dogs at my feet.
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“One almost feel grateful to Garbo for keeping herself so resolutely to herself, for leaving us a little mystery”.