Shy actors: Vanessa Hudgens, Sigourney Weaver, Taye Diggs

In this video, several well-known performers talk about being shy.

This is Vanessa Hudgens, with Zac Efron, in High School Musical 3. In a magazine article, she says "When I was young, I would not talk to anybody if I didn't know them. I'd hide behind my mom if she tried to introduce me to anyone." In middle school, she got into fashion, "which tends to make you a little more popular," she notes, and acting. She said, "When I was on the stage, I felt like I was hiding behind a person, and I adored it."

[From Vanessa Hudgens has attracted millions of fans as America's High School Sweetheart, by James Kaplan, Parade.com 07/26/2009]

Sigourney Weaver portrayed a very powerful character Ellen Ripley in the Alien movie series. But she is shy off-screen.

She once said, "Sometimes because I am very shy, when I meet a director and they are shy too, we just sort of sit there. I remember when I met Ang Lee and we were left alone - I was so shy and he was so shy neither of us said anything to each other for about 20 minutes. Finally, we started talking about The Ice Storm."

[From article : Keeping us guessing - Drama? Comedy? Sci-fi? Nothing is too alien for Sigourney Weaver - by Susan King, Los Angeles Times Jan 30, 2005]

Taye Diggs says he has been acting for as long as he has been shy, and has an interesting perspective on how acting has affected him: I wouldnt say my insecurities and shyness have lessened just because of expressing myself through acting, but what has a role in my becoming more confident is the kind of false sense of adoration you get from the business... because I was so insecure, it gives me a reason to be a little more confident. [From my interview with Diggs.]

In addition to low confidence, shyness may be related to introversion, a common personality trait of many gifted and talented people. While acting may be a way to gain confidence or deal with shyness if they want to, some people find it helpful to get counseling, or explore whether they have social phobia or some other kind of anxiety that may keep them from being authentic and freely expressive on stage or on camera, or just ordinary life.

Related articles:

The Top Ten Gifts of Being an Inner-Directed Individual - by Sarah Dolliver
http://talentdevelop.com/articles/TTTGOBAII.html

The Gifted Introvert, By Lesley Sword
http://talentdevelop.com/articles/GiftIntrov.html

Related pages / sites :

High sensitivity articles
http://talentdevelop.com/articlelive/categories/High-sensitivity/

Introversion articles/sites/books
http://talentdevelop.com/introversion-r.html

The Inner Actor site
http://theinneractor.com/

Highly Sensitive site
http://highlysensitive.org/

Category:

Education

Tags:

• shyness
• actors
• acting
• psychology

[lizx0]

i'm the same way as vanessa. im still in high school now, and still shy, but i love acting and it kind of suprises people because they assume you have to be this confident person to act. but it's not really, because you are playing somebody other than yourself, so it's like... you aren't you, and being shy doesn't really affect that.

:)

[mammalmoose]

now why cant talkative obnoxious ppl get counceling? How to be less annoying and shut up once in a while

[kimkrisrich]

You forgot about Kristen Stewart! It looks like she also has social anxiety phobia.

[Xrocksfox]

what about stuttering ??

[bodykiss]

@mammalmoose So true. Cannot stand loud, dominating people ugh

[eyegotchoo1]

i have social anxiety and i have been battling with it for years...i felt relief to kno i not alone....This video really inspired me becuz the celerities mentioned are all great actors and despite their obstacles they didnt let the anxiety stop them from reaching their dreams...Thanks for the video....

[gefroren20]

Just because Ur shy DOESN'T mean U can't act or sing. Michael Jackson is the best example. Offstage he was very shy but onstage he transformed into a different person.

[mzcyberbat]

this is worth watching just to see Taye Diggs :)

I was always shy and felt so alone. Nowerdays not so much. Being shy isn't such a bad thing! Being different makes you interesting. Not everyone has to be outgoing!

[CaledoniaJMR]

Interesting subject.  Nice to know I'm not alone in this.