Notes and Quotes of The Epic Paul Newman

Paul New Man Notes
From 10/10/2008 E Weekly

"Newman won just once, for The Color of Money, and took home two honorary Academy Awards, one for his contribution to film and one for the hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable contributions generated by sales of popcorn and salad dressing to which he lent his name, his face, and witty understanding that he could do an immense amount of good by turning himself into a commodity for his own purposes, not just Hollywood's" (p.24).

"It's hard to decide whether there's more there than meets the eye, or less," shrugged one interviewer after sitting through an "endless supply of euphemisms, sophistries, and non sequitors" that Newman deployed to keep almost any questioner at arm's length." (p.27).

"In the process, he cemented his status not as an icon of American Beauty and masculinity on screen, but as an actor who was interested in the frailty, flaws, and humanity of every character he portrayed." (p.27)

"All that time, under the gorgeousness was this major actor waiting to get out....He was getting on, and, an actor has a choice about how much of himself he's going to reveal" (p.28).
This one made a LOT of sense. Because after all...some times actors play roles, characters VASTLY different from their core personality (take Michael Richards for example, a very philosophical personality in person, but plays a quite a contrary character). In many ways I feel I do that as well. It's difficult to distinguish what parts of me are character versus just "me" at times. Even when trying to recreationally entertain I approach it with a seriousness, so it can even be difficult for me to make a distinguishing characteristic!

"The Weakness of the men he chose to play maybe be his most lasting legacy. His image...was that of a man chiseling detachment out of intense pain. No star who looked as heroic as Newman ever took on more losers, cads, bums, bastards, and beaten men, or played them with more understanding or less sentimentality." (p. 28)

"To watch Newman from his 20s into his late 70s, is to see an actor wrestling with the definition of manhood in the 20th century." (p.28).


"He was every inch the movie star he had always been, and also the great actor he never quite realized he had become." (p28).

Richard Thomas said, "Paul Newman represented a side of the masculine psyche that was a little foreign to me: sports and the beautiful machismo that he had, which wasn't swagger, but was always very modest, and very authentic." (p.30)

14 Countries sell Newman's Own products (including 27 types of salad dressing) and 250 million dollars from earnings have gone to charity and 100% of after-tax profits go to charity to help fund the 11 Hole in the Wall Gang Camps around the world helping over 135,000 children!


To see "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge"
"Nobody's Fool"