27 quotes
Harnessing Emotion for Acting Performance
Doris Finsecker
I HATE Ralph Garci! I must remember this feeling and use it in my acting!
Language and Authority in the Classroom
Mrs. Sherwood
Speak English.
Leroy
I speak like I likes.
Mrs. Sherwood
This is my home room. You'll speak as I like. I teach English. Now, if that's a foreign language, you're going to learn it.
The Fearlessness of True Artistic Expression
Montgomery
A pie in the face comes with the job. That's what my mom says; she should know.
Doris
I don't get it.
Montgomery
A real artist must never be afraid of what other people are gonna say about him.
Ambition and Dreams of a Young Dancer
Hilary
You see, I was offered this place in the San Francisco Ballet. I haven't told anyone yet, but I'm gonna take it. I don't care what they think. I'm a good dancer. Better than good. Maybe even the best in the school. And that's not conceit, it's just simple honesty. If I stay in New York, everyone will think I bought my way into ABT. And I'm not starving myself for Balanchine's City Ballet. Not that I mind doing the corps de ballet bullshit. I'd sooner do it out of town. I'll pay my dues on the west coast, come back to New York a star. You see, I've always had this crazy dream of dancing all the classical roles before I'm twenty-one. I want Giselles and CoppÈlias coming out of my feet. And Sleeping Beauties, and the Swan. I want bravos in Stuttgart and Leningrad and Paris. Maybe even a ballet created especially for me. You see? There's no room for a baby.
Nurse
Will this be Master Charge or American Express, honey?
Pizza Preferences Amidst Tension
Montgomery
You wanna get a pizza? We could split an Angie's special - with anchovies!
Ralph
Anchovies? Man, fuck anchovies. Man, I died out there and you're talking about fucking pizza?
Montgomery
No, I'm talking about eating pizza.
Technique Liberates Talent in Creative Pursuits
Taglines
Study, drill and technique do not stifle the talent, they free it.
Confidence Amidst Criticism in Fame
Coco
I'm a professional. A few unkind words aren't going to bother me. I know its not going to be all standing ovations.
Hilary
Certainly not for you, my dear.
Coco
Look, I'm not my dear! You can fuck my dear.
Hilary
Well, thank you. That might be fun.
[Looks at Leroy]
Coco
That might be impossible. He's not into vanilla.
Hilary
Might be a nice change, from black cherry.
Coco
You know what they say? The darker the berry, the sweeter the juice.
Hilary
Yes, but who wants diabetes?
Youthful Spirit and Desire for Connection
Leroy Johnson
I's young, I's single, and I loves to mingle!
Balancing Talent with Academic Responsibility
Mrs. Sherwood
This is no Mickey Mouse school. You're not getting off easy. Because you're talented, you'll work twice as hard. Now, I don't care how well you dance or how many colored tutus you have. If you don't give your academic subjects equal time, you're out.
Leroy
Bullshit!
The Importance of Clear Diction
Farrell
Diction! Watch your diction, Ralph. You're slurring your words.
Ralph
What? Wait a minute. Wait a minute. ] slurred his words, you know. ] slurred his words. ] slurred his words. They were the greatest actors in the whole world and nobody could understand a word they said.
[[Marlon Brando; [w:Montgomery Cliff|Montgomery Cliff; [w:James Dean|James Dean]
Aspiration and Immortality in Fame
Songs
Fame! I'm gonna live forever/ I'm gonna learn how to fly (high!)/ I feel it coming together/ People will see me and cry!
The Value of Collaboration in Music
Shorofsky
One man is not an orchestra.
Bruno
Who needs orchestras? You can do it all with a keyboard, an amp and enough power.
Shorofsky
You going to play all by yourself?
Bruno
You don't need anybody else.
Shorofsky
That's not music, Martelli. That's masturbation.
Expression Through Music and Performance
Songs
* "]", written by ] (music) and ], sung by ])
[[w:Fame (Irene Cara song)|Fame; [w:Michael Gore|Michael Gore; [w:Dean Pitchford|Dean Pitchford; [Irene Cara]
The Harsh Reality of Pursuing Arts Careers
Shirley
It's just not fair. I didn't wanna come here, anyway. This school sucks. You done me a favour, shithead. You saved me four fuckin years from this ass-lickin school. You're lookin at one happy lady. Who wants to go to a fuckin school to learn to dance, anyway?
Mr. Farrell
There are 50,000 people walking around calling themselves actors and maybe 500 are making a living at it. Most of those do commercials to pay the rent. The rest wait tables, clean other people's apartments, living on welfare and hope. And don't think talent's enough to get you through. You've gotta have a strong technique, a good agent, and, most of all, a thick skin; because, now you're part of an underprivileged minority and you're going to suffer.
Holding the Violin Bow with Respect
Shorofsky
No! No! No! Hold the bow like this! Not like this! This isn't your dick you're holding! It's a violin bow! Hold it with respect, like...
Bruno
...Your dick?
The Cost of True Talent
Taglines
If they've really got what it takes, it's going to take everything they've got.
Miscommunication About Homework and Understanding
Leroy
I told you I done it and I forgot it.
Mrs. Sherwood
My hearing is fine. It's your homework that's missing. And these couple of pages I have are unintelligible.
Leroy
It's a secret language, all right? It ain't meant for whiteys to understand!
Cultural Appreciation and Misunderstanding in Dialogue
Hilary
Son derriere noir... c'est formidable!
[about Leroy]
Lisa
Wow, I love your accent. What did you say?
Hilary
I dig his black ass.
The Complexity of Happiness and Unhappiness
Montgomery McNeil
Never being happy isn't the same as being unhappy. Is it?
Name Changes and Personal Boundaries
Mrs. Finsecker
] didn't change her name.
[[Barbra Streisand]
Doris
I don't want to talk about it any more!
Mrs. Finsecker
Well, I'll call you Doris, like I always have.
Doris
Well, I won't answer!
Mrs. Finsecker
It's a perfectly good name!
Doris
Yeah, for a perfectly good person. A skinny, boring, nondescript, perfectly good person.
Chasing Dreams Beyond Graduation
Coco Hernandez
Graduating from PA is no Academy Award, if you know what I mean. Look, it is better than real school. Like, its free and you don't get raped in the hallways; but, its still small change. I'm just killin time here. Waitin for my opportunity. Might be in a movie or a Broadway musical. But, it's comin'! I keep my eyes open. I read "Backstage", "Show Business" and "Variety". You see, I do the whole thing. Dancing's just the tip of this iceberg. A friend of my sister's, she tells fortunes and stuff. She says I'm doing my last dance on this dark little planet. So, its gotta be spectacular, you know. How bright our spirits go shooting out into space, depends on how much we contributed to the earthly brilliance of this world. And I mean to be a major contributor!
Social Anxiety and the Fear of Rejection
Montgomery McNeil
I'm always worried maybe people aren't going to like me when I go to a party. Isn't that crazy? Do you ever get a kind of a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you dread things? Gee, I wouldn't want to miss a party for anything, but, every time I go to one, I keep feeling like the whole world's against me.
Embracing Multiple Personalities in Acting
Doris
I mean, if I don't have a personality of my own, so what? I'm an actress! I can put on as many personalities as I want!
Montgomery
To schizophrenia!
[raises his glass]
Doris
Abso-fucking-lutely!
[also raising glass]
The Importance of Applications in Education
Miss Berg
Where's his application?
Lydia
He doesn't have one.
Miss Berg
Well, get him one! What do you call that?
[Watching Leroy's dance moves]
Lydia
Wicked!