"I confess it, I love the camera. When it's not on me, I'm not quite alive"
About this Quote
The line hinges on a cruel binary: on-camera equals alive; off-camera equals a kind of blur. That is less melodrama than a precise description of performance as identity. Acting isn't just pretending; it's a state of hyper-presence, a demand to be readable, legible, intensified. The camera becomes the modern mirror that doesn't merely reflect but verifies: you're real because you're recorded.
Context matters. Bujold emerged in an era when actresses were alternately sanctified and punished for visibility, when stardom could feel like a contract to be endlessly available. Her phrasing captures the transactional underside of glamour: the image consumes you, but it also animates you. Underneath the bravado is a small, bracing fear - that without the apparatus of attention, the self thins out. It's a line about celebrity, yes, but also about work: the stage light as proof of purpose.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bujold, Genevieve. (2026, January 16). I confess it, I love the camera. When it's not on me, I'm not quite alive. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-confess-it-i-love-the-camera-when-its-not-on-me-132786/
Chicago Style
Bujold, Genevieve. "I confess it, I love the camera. When it's not on me, I'm not quite alive." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-confess-it-i-love-the-camera-when-its-not-on-me-132786/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I confess it, I love the camera. When it's not on me, I'm not quite alive." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-confess-it-i-love-the-camera-when-its-not-on-me-132786/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.



