"I want to try and do as much as I can as an actor. So far I think I've done pretty well with being a minister's son. And now I know I'm pretty darn good at playing a woman too"
About this Quote
Ambition, in Barry Watson's telling, isn't the tortured-genius kind; it's the working actor's urge to widen the lane before the industry narrows it for you. "I want to try and do as much as I can" reads like a résumé in motion, the kind of statement you make when your face is familiar but your range is still up for debate. He's signaling hunger, yes, but also strategy: keep moving, keep surprising, don't let one successful type become your permanent assignment.
The sly part is how he frames his past and his pivot. "Pretty well with being a minister's son" is less autobiography than shorthand for a specific casting box: wholesome, morally legible, safe for network TV. It's a nod to the way Hollywood often treats virtue as a look you can wear. Then comes the gearshift: "pretty darn good at playing a woman too". The casual phrasing ("pretty darn") deflates any sense of grand transgression, which is exactly the point. He's making gender performance sound like craft, not gimmick, and staking a claim that cross-gender roles shouldn't be treated as novelty acts but as another tool in an actor's kit.
There's cultural context here: for decades, men playing women has been rewarded when it's comedic, punished when it's serious, and always policed for what it implies. Watson's line pushes back softly. He wants credit for risk without begging for permission, insisting that versatility is the job, not the exception.
The sly part is how he frames his past and his pivot. "Pretty well with being a minister's son" is less autobiography than shorthand for a specific casting box: wholesome, morally legible, safe for network TV. It's a nod to the way Hollywood often treats virtue as a look you can wear. Then comes the gearshift: "pretty darn good at playing a woman too". The casual phrasing ("pretty darn") deflates any sense of grand transgression, which is exactly the point. He's making gender performance sound like craft, not gimmick, and staking a claim that cross-gender roles shouldn't be treated as novelty acts but as another tool in an actor's kit.
There's cultural context here: for decades, men playing women has been rewarded when it's comedic, punished when it's serious, and always policed for what it implies. Watson's line pushes back softly. He wants credit for risk without begging for permission, insisting that versatility is the job, not the exception.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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