"I was tired of playing the goodie-two-shoes"
About this Quote
The line works because it’s slightly self-mocking. She doesn’t call it "wholesome" or "principled" - she picks a schoolyard phrase that carries a whiff of condescension. That choice signals awareness of how these roles are perceived: not noble, just narrow. It’s also a subtle negotiation with the audience. She’s not denouncing goodness; she’s rejecting the expectation that her on-screen purpose is to reassure everyone else.
Context matters: Mills built a public image across decades when actresses were frequently sorted into saint, siren, or punchline. Her most iconic turn on Knots Landing leaned into sharper edges, and the quote reads like the moment an actor claims the right to complexity - to be messy, ambitious, funny, sexual, contradictory. In other words, human. The subtext is career strategy as much as selfhood: if you don’t outgrow the "goodie-two-shoes", the business will keep you in them.
Quote Details
| Topic | Reinvention |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Mills, Donna. (2026, January 17). I was tired of playing the goodie-two-shoes. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-was-tired-of-playing-the-goodie-two-shoes-49694/
Chicago Style
Mills, Donna. "I was tired of playing the goodie-two-shoes." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-was-tired-of-playing-the-goodie-two-shoes-49694/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I was tired of playing the goodie-two-shoes." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-was-tired-of-playing-the-goodie-two-shoes-49694/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.





