"I have been so fortunate and I really am appreciative of the success I've had"
About this Quote
Gratitude can sound like a press-junket reflex, but in George Kennedy's mouth it reads as something tougher: an actor acknowledging that a career is as much about timing, casting roulette, and sheer durability as it is about talent. The line is plainspoken, almost stubbornly unadorned, which is its own kind of performance. Kennedy isn't selling mystique or genius; he's refusing the myth that success is a moral reward. "So fortunate" shifts credit away from personal heroics toward the machinery of the business and the contingencies that made him visible.
The pairing of "fortunate" and "appreciative" is doing quiet work. Fortune names luck; appreciation signals character. Together they let him accept acclaim without swagger and without false humility. There's also a generational subtext: a mid-century working actor's ethic, formed in an era when you did the job, hit your marks, and didn't confuse recognition with destiny. Kennedy, often cast as the imposing heavy or the rough-edged authority, built a persona on solidity. This quote keeps that texture. It's sturdy, not lyrical.
Context matters because Kennedy's fame arrived after years of grind and typecasting, then crystallized into iconic roles. That arc makes gratitude less like branding and more like a ledger: a man who knows how easily the phone stops ringing. The intent isn't to inspire; it's to keep the story honest.
The pairing of "fortunate" and "appreciative" is doing quiet work. Fortune names luck; appreciation signals character. Together they let him accept acclaim without swagger and without false humility. There's also a generational subtext: a mid-century working actor's ethic, formed in an era when you did the job, hit your marks, and didn't confuse recognition with destiny. Kennedy, often cast as the imposing heavy or the rough-edged authority, built a persona on solidity. This quote keeps that texture. It's sturdy, not lyrical.
Context matters because Kennedy's fame arrived after years of grind and typecasting, then crystallized into iconic roles. That arc makes gratitude less like branding and more like a ledger: a man who knows how easily the phone stops ringing. The intent isn't to inspire; it's to keep the story honest.
Quote Details
| Topic | Success |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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