“Learn what it is to sweat. Learn what it is to fail. Learn how to take rejection. Don’t personalize it.” – Goldie Hawn
Though actress Goldie Hawn is best known for starring in movies in which she played a bit of an airhead for laughs, Hawn is also recognized for her work behind the camera as a producer (including her signature film, 1980’s Private Benjamin). Hawn is currently promoting her first film as an actress in fifteen years, Snatched. In an interview in Interview magazine conducted by none other than Hawn’s daughter actress Kate Hudson, Hawn gives advice on what she would tell someone wanting to breaking into acting — advice that she says applies to any career because it’s not just about starting with a dream.
Hawn explains, “I believe you have to start with a craft; you don’t just start with a dream. You’ve got to put a lot of work in. If you want to pursue acting, then you go to acting class. If you want to be a dancer, then you learn to dance, which is what I did. If you want to be a ventriloquist or join the circus … When you’re young, you start looking at what you want to do—not just who you want to be, but what you want to do. And I think the tenacity to say, ‘I’m going to perfect that,’ is the beginning of a work ethic. It’s the beginning of a talent. I would say, ‘Perfect what you do well. Branch out and learn how to do other things. Dreams sometimes don’t work out. But what will carry you through your life is the authenticity of who you are. Start with learning how to hammer a nail into a piece of wood. And be really good at it. Learn what it is to sweat. Learn what it is to fail. Learn how to take rejection. Don’t personalize it.’ I always believed that I could become a dance teacher. I had a realistic dream.”
