"And, I'd never done Tennessee Williams, and I had done Broadway musicals, so it was a challenge"
About this Quote
The phrase “so it was a challenge” is doing more work than it admits. It’s modest on the surface, but the subtext is steel: I can translate my instrument into a new key. Coming from an actor known for comedic precision, the implication is especially pointed. Comedy and musical theater demand control and calibration; Williams demands exposure, mess, the willingness to let silence and discomfort stand. Martin’s intent reads as both personal and strategic: to prove range, to court risk, to complicate an audience’s assumptions about what she “is.”
Context matters here because Tennessee Williams is a litmus test in American acting culture. Saying you’ve “done” Williams is like claiming a credential. Martin’s sentence acknowledges that gatekeeping without sounding bitter about it, turning the whole thing into an actor’s most flattering self-portrait: curious, game, and hungry for the harder room.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Martin, Andrea. (2026, January 17). And, I'd never done Tennessee Williams, and I had done Broadway musicals, so it was a challenge. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-id-never-done-tennessee-williams-and-i-had-61929/
Chicago Style
Martin, Andrea. "And, I'd never done Tennessee Williams, and I had done Broadway musicals, so it was a challenge." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-id-never-done-tennessee-williams-and-i-had-61929/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"And, I'd never done Tennessee Williams, and I had done Broadway musicals, so it was a challenge." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-id-never-done-tennessee-williams-and-i-had-61929/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.





