"Most actors really love it, that's what they want to do. They burn to do it. And so they'll read a script and think, that's an interesting part. And because they love acting, that blinds them to the fact that the rest of it is pretentious nonsense, which it very often is"
About this Quote
Grant is doing that very British trick: confessing a vice in order to indict an industry. He opens with generosity - actors "burn" to act - then turns that passion into a liability. The sting is in "blinds them": devotion becomes a kind of occupational cataract, the way hunger makes you romanticize bad food. It is less an attack on actors than on the ecosystem that feeds them parts like treats and asks them not to notice the wrapper.
The mechanics are ruthless. "An interesting part" is the carrot, the one shiny object in a script that lets everyone pretend the whole thing has depth. Grant understands how prestige gets manufactured: not through coherence or truth, but through isolated moments designed to make a performer feel important. Calling the rest "pretentious nonsense" punctures the sacred language of "serious" cinema and theater, where vague symbolism and self-regard are often mistaken for intelligence. His "which it very often is" lands like a shrug, the deadpan coda that suggests this isn't a rare disappointment but a recurring business model.
The subtext is personal credibility. Grant built a career navigating charm, rom-com froth, and occasional "important" projects; he's seen how easily actors get seduced by the promise of transformation or awards-season respectability. Coming from inside the guild, the critique carries a double edge: he's mocking the naivete he also recognizes in himself. In an era where "content" is plentiful and scripts are rushed, the quote reads as a warning about vanity disguised as taste - and about how love of the craft can be exploited to keep bad writing employed.
The mechanics are ruthless. "An interesting part" is the carrot, the one shiny object in a script that lets everyone pretend the whole thing has depth. Grant understands how prestige gets manufactured: not through coherence or truth, but through isolated moments designed to make a performer feel important. Calling the rest "pretentious nonsense" punctures the sacred language of "serious" cinema and theater, where vague symbolism and self-regard are often mistaken for intelligence. His "which it very often is" lands like a shrug, the deadpan coda that suggests this isn't a rare disappointment but a recurring business model.
The subtext is personal credibility. Grant built a career navigating charm, rom-com froth, and occasional "important" projects; he's seen how easily actors get seduced by the promise of transformation or awards-season respectability. Coming from inside the guild, the critique carries a double edge: he's mocking the naivete he also recognizes in himself. In an era where "content" is plentiful and scripts are rushed, the quote reads as a warning about vanity disguised as taste - and about how love of the craft can be exploited to keep bad writing employed.
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