Katharine Quotes

On Katharine Hepburn: "She was this slip of a women and I never liked skinny women. But she had this thing, this air you might call it, the most totally magnetic women I`d ever seen, and probably ever seen since. You had to look at her, you had to listen to her, there was no escaping her.

(in reference to Katharine Hepburn`s tie for the 1968 Oscar with Barbra Streisand): "I wanted to be the first to win three Oscars, but Miss Hepburn has done it. Actually it hasn`t been done. Miss Hepburn only won half an Oscar. If they`d given me half an Oscar I would have thrown it back in their faces. You see, I`m an Aries. I never lose."

"Who is Katharine Hepburn? It took me a long time to create that creature."

(on Katharine Hepburn) I worship that bloody woman. I`ve never enjoyed working with anyone so much in my whole life, not even Richard Burton. There were no problems, not a one.

"Nobody can imitate me. You can always see impersonations of Katharine Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. But not me. Because I`ve always drawn on myself only."

On being asked why he was always billed above Katharine Hepburn in their films together, when politeness dictated the other way around: "Because this is a movie, you chowder-head, not a lifeboat!".

On why he never left his wife for Katharine Hepburn: "I can get a divorce whenever I want to. But my wife and Kate like things just as they are".

"Katharine Hepburn and Vivien Leigh are my heroes. Not because of their ability, but because of their perseverance".

(On preparing for her role as Queen Amidala) "George worked with me a lot, on changing my voice and my movement and the way I carried myself. We worked on this accent that ... kinda goes to old, older generations of actresses who used kind of an unidentifiable accent. `Is it American or is it British?` and I watched Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn. If you look at them, their voices and the stature is so regal, even in their everyday characters. And that`s kinda why I used it to model after".

Thank you. I so didn`t expected this. I wore a really tight dress that`s very ungracious walking up those stairs. Thank you very much, I sort of don`t know where to begin. Playing Katharine Hepburn, I absolutely did not expect to be standing here in front of you all. But Hepburn aside, I actually would like to say, as an actor coming from another country to this country, I am so astounded and amazed, and grateful, at the power of the SAG union and what it does for its members. And I hope that other countries, mine own included, you know, is inspired by that - I think it`s incredible. (SAG acceptance speech Feb. 5, 2005)

(Talking about modelling her Lois Lane performance on Katharine Hepburn): I watched a lot of Hepburn (Katharine Hepburn) to prepare for Lois, particularly The Philadelphia Story (1940) and Guess Who`s Coming to Dinner (1967). Hepburn (Katharine Hepburn) is a great model for how I see Lois - strong but fragile.

Even now I feel furious with myself because whenever there`s a camera pointed towards me my MGM training makes me smile. I don`t like it. You can see it on all the people who came from that era because there was no question of them not smiling for the camera. Even Katharine Hepburn -- and God knows she was a dramatic actress -- if the camera is on her she smiles.

I don`t want to spit in the eye of good fortune, but it was weird. I felt like I`d butted in line in front of Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn. Hello? How did this happen? I was only the sixth woman to receive it, but they found 26 men to give it to. I thought that was embarrassing. (on her Lifetime Achievement Award from the AFI)

I think mystery is kind of great. I don`t know anything about Bette Davis or Katharine Hepburn or Ava Gardner - not really - and I like that. I love watching their movies because they`re my personal movie stars. I don`t know what they eat and who their trainer is.

(On working with Katharine Hepburn) "She is snippy you know, which is a shame. She was never on my side".

(on Katharine Hepburn) She talks at you as though you were a microphone; she lectured the hell out of me on temperance and the evils of drink. She doesn`t give a damn how she looks. I don`t think she tries to be a character. I think she is one.

I don`t know about "any" publisher. But Katharine Graham and I had been working together for almost seven years and we had come to trust each other.

(on Katharine Hepburn) This dame is terrific -- and expert in her craft and so electrifying on set that if you don`t watch out, you`re likely to wind up as part of the scenery.