Stella Benson Quotes

Most of what we say about ourselves is a wonderful piece of storytelling.

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.

I never manufactured my persona.

In photos, I don't know who the real me is - it's all pretend, just pretend. There's not much of myself in my work. If I'm looking in the mirror and I'm working, I'm looking at my make-up and my hair. It's not the same as looking at myself.

People are ridiculous only when they try or seem to be that which they are not.

At least when you're acting you can be someone. In front of the camera you have to be yourself. And who am I?

Every man has three characters - that which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has.

It is in most cases more difficult to make intelligent people believe that you are what you are not, than really to become what you would appear to be.

I've never met anyone that is their image.

A lot of broadcasting, I think, is doing a tremendous amount of preparation and trying to act like, 'Oh, this thought is just occurring to me right now' - and speaking sincerely.

Like, that was weird in 'Hamlet 2,' because I played myself there, fully myself, but then I realized, 'Oh, I'm not playing myself. I'm some weird version of myself.' So as an actress, you're always playing something, I don't even know who I am, how could I become me? I don't know what that is.

Dandyism is a lie which reveals the truth, and the truth is that we are what we pretend to be.

One goes on with the blithe belief that who you really are is transparent to everybody. Then you realise, with some horror, that in fact it's not. So all you can do is keep muddying the waters a bit.

I believe your thoughts are your thoughts, but are you a human being in front of the camera, or an actor? They are two different things.

It seems that different people have an idea of what I am, and what I should be. And then there's me.

Acting like the person I'm supposed to be has always been the easiest thing for me.

There is no self-portrait of me.

I want to portray myself as myself.

I am pretty much who I seem, and it's not a television host.

There was no image of the other biological half of myself. And as an artists, as a - as an - as a portraitist, the look of who you are was radically important to me.

One is what one has the nerve to pretend to be.

In some way they are all self-portraits, but I think I know what you mean by asking this - I would say, it is too idealistic to paint yourself.

It is difficult to know oneself, but it isn't easy to paint oneself either.

I’ve always thought you are what you are and you shouldn’t pretend to be anyone else. But Oliver used to correct me and explain that you are whoever it is you’re pretending to be.

The question isn't, 'What do we want to know about people?', It's, 'What do people want to tell about themselves?'