"In order to dream, you need to have a springboard which is the facts... It gives it that touch of reality, and I think that's quite important... truth with fiction"
About this Quote
The subtext is craft. “Facts” are the given circumstances: a character’s history, the physical world of a scene, the small logistical truths that make behavior credible. Leigh isn’t romanticizing improvisation or “magic”; she’s describing how imagination gets traction. The “touch of reality” is what keeps the audience from watching a performance and instead lets them inhabit it. It’s also, slyly, a defense of genre work and mainstream storytelling. Even in heightened material, the details must ring true, or the dream collapses into costume.
Context matters: Leigh’s career sits at a mid-century hinge point when Hollywood’s studio polish met a growing appetite for psychological realism. Her most famous roles trade on exactly this tension, inviting viewers into scenarios that feel plausible enough to disturb. “Truth with fiction” isn’t a compromise; it’s the engine of screen acting itself, where the lie has to be disciplined until it reads as human.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Leigh, Janet. (n.d.). In order to dream, you need to have a springboard which is the facts... It gives it that touch of reality, and I think that's quite important... truth with fiction. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-order-to-dream-you-need-to-have-a-springboard-167688/
Chicago Style
Leigh, Janet. "In order to dream, you need to have a springboard which is the facts... It gives it that touch of reality, and I think that's quite important... truth with fiction." FixQuotes. Accessed February 2, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-order-to-dream-you-need-to-have-a-springboard-167688/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"In order to dream, you need to have a springboard which is the facts... It gives it that touch of reality, and I think that's quite important... truth with fiction." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-order-to-dream-you-need-to-have-a-springboard-167688/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.








