RSS
 

The shy side of Errol!

22 Feb

How shy was Errol and if so, what could have been the reasons for it?

 

— Tina

 
15 Comments

Posted in Main Page

 

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

 
 

  1. Anonymous

    February 23, 2011 at 2:22 am

    Hi Tina!
    Great photos of Errol — thanks for sharing! :-)
    I'm always amused to hear when certain actors claim to be shy. As for any shyness Errol had, I'm not sure. Perhaps he had some initial “shyness” whenever he found himself among new people and/or in new surroundings, but other than that….

     

  2. Anonymous

    February 23, 2011 at 5:43 am

    Hi Rachel!
    Oh, Errol was shy alright in some circumstances in particular when large crowds would accost him! But, I think there must be a little more to it maybe our respected authors have more inside into this side of his character. What were the fears or uncomfortableness he felt in these circumstances? I think this is a venue which should be discussed!
    My best wishes to you!

     

  3. Anonymous

    February 23, 2011 at 7:52 am

    Hi Tina, I think this is one of the most controversial topics about Errol. Not many people believe that a person can be shy and yet behave as Errol did in the public. It seems like a huge contradiction. If you are shy, you normally stay at home and do things on your own and you don't seek out the limelight. However, I believe that there are such people who are essentially shy and yet, when they get pushed into the limelight, they somehow “forget” about their essential character trait and act as they are told. Because if they didin't, if they said “No, I can't do it.”, they would suffer enormously from rejection. Everybody would laugh at them. Any human being wants to be loved in this world, so certainly did Errol. Maybe it was so that the love he did not get from his family, he sought to get from the public. He probably enjoyed the attention he initially got, as it was something new and exciting, but when it went crazy in the course of the years, he might have preferred that it had never happened.
    So, to summarise: yes, I believe that Errol had a shy side but that he “put it aside” because he had no other choice. Believe me, there are such people. Tina, in the book I sent you, I think the author deals with the same topic. Maybe you could have a look at it.

     

  4. Anonymous

    February 24, 2011 at 3:02 am

    Hi Inga;
    Nice picture too!
    I think you have summarized it very well and I agree the browbeating of his mother is on the bottom of it all. I think he had to fight very hard with himself for his self-confidence which was always a little shaky. Very sad indeed!
    All the best to you,
    Tina

     

  5. Anonymous

    February 24, 2011 at 3:14 am

    I've been around a few actors who proved themselves to be shy about some things. I worked with the cast of Northern Exposure through all seasons of the show, and found that in certain circumstances actors do become self conscious and shy about themselves. A closed set is one thing, where you know everybody and its a sort of family situation (while maintaining professional expectations) but actors have told me they can become very shy about talking about themselves and really dislike it unless they can focus on the film they are promoting but in some interviews when YOU are the subject, they would often rather avoid the intensive interviews of some reporters who dig too deep, and so a front of sorts is often invented to deal with it. Flynn had an image he played with but rarely talked about his childhood. Meeting new people is often a problem for some actors/celebrities because the celebrity can't really be themselves and have to judge who is trying to be a friend for personal gain, and who is not. So they shy away from people at times. In the fan crowd situation they can bask and enjoy themselves, but some fans can have dark agendas, like the stalkers many stars have to deal with but rarely talk about. So it has to be a tricky way to live because you don't know the intentions of a lot of people that surround you after you become well known. I imagine standing beside Roosevelt would make anybody a little self-conscious but also very excited and cause the mouth to go dry, as when Flynn met him in public. So I think there is a higher standard of perception actors/celebs have to deal with that we ordinary mortals do not have to worry about… learning to be open with your emotions in front of a camera is the actor's stock in trade and none of them would last too long if they just couldn't deliver the goods in their business… and I think that someone with talent and skill can deliver intimate feelings on screen and yet, as a person be fairly shy with people. It isn't that much of a contradiction if you think of it in those terms.

     

  6. Anonymous

    February 24, 2011 at 4:51 am

    hi David:
    What a divine explanation you put forth!
    As an ordinary person one would never think of these perils a Movie Star has to content with in the various circumstances when being in the limelight. I would say Errol had to grow up very fast and learn a lot of a new world and climate when becoming a Star overnight! I wonder if Stars are coached in this venue? I would hope so!
    When becoming a Star they must sacrifice a lot of things which an ordinary person takes for granted and these ordinary things are suddenly not available anymore to them. What a different life, I wonder if anyone of us can imagine what it would be like to walk the limelight? But on the other hand they chose their life style and the admiration of the fans is a byproduct of their fame.
    Their lifestyle must be so different, yet with fabulous compensations which in a way must be worth to them to suffer some of the consequences which come with the business.
    I suppose we all live our lives with pleasure and consequences and keep on dreaming of being a Star with all the good and the bad!

     

  7. Anonymous

    February 24, 2011 at 6:49 am

    Very interesting explanation, David, thank you! I agree with you and Tina, it is very difficult for us ordinary people to imagine what star life is like. Maybe tha is also an explanation why Errol spread all the wild tales about his New Guinea time – to avoid being asked more personal questions. As long as the reporters got a good yarn from him about his adventures, they would not dig too deep into other areas.

     

  8. Anonymous

    February 24, 2011 at 9:19 pm

    I heard more than once from actors that you have what they call “the business” and “the work”. The business refers to the publicity, the agents, the lawyers, the manufacturing of movies in all its business aspects, and the work refers to acting in front of the cameras. Two very different worlds. I recall Janine Turner making a face when told she had to stay an hour later than usual to do a promo for Northern Exposure. She told me she hated them because she felt phony in effect saying LOOK AT ME! and would rather play her character. This is something of a contradiction in the sense that all actors are basically saying “Look at me!” by BEING actors…

     

  9. Anonymous

    February 24, 2011 at 9:20 pm

    I think you hit the nail on the head, Aresia! You are probably exactly right!

     

  10. Anonymous

    February 25, 2011 at 10:56 am

    I do believe Errol was shy, he had absentee parents and was left to his own devices a lot of the time, so when you put that into the mix you usually end up with someone who is insecure in themselves and prefers to take on different personas to hide what they think is an in adequete personality to the world, hence the perfect career is the movies or stage, the best actors always come from difficult backrounds, just look at Olivia De Haviland, Bette Davis, Judy Garland the list goes on anyway thats my opinion but he was still the greatest.

     

  11. Anonymous

    February 26, 2011 at 8:36 pm

    Hi Lesley;
    Good to hear from you!
    You have a great point that many of the best actors come from a difficult background. Is it an escape mechanism to run away from themselves? Not being capable to come into reality of who they are by wishing to be someone else makes them the great actors who they are?

     

  12. Anonymous

    February 28, 2011 at 2:23 pm

    Hi Tina
    in a way yes, in Errol's case I dont think he realised how popular he really was, all his life I think
    he had those insecurities yapping at his heels, and no amount of success can eradicate it.his shyness in part I think was a deep need for privacy and to be taken seriuosly as a human being and an actor.

     

  13. Anonymous

    February 28, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    I could, however, imagine that Errol did quite realise that he WAS popular with the audience, but that he lacked the “official” recognition from critics… his films, especially the early ones, were immense box office hits which shows that he was popular, but the reviews he got for his film were less favourable… as you said, Leslie: a need to be taken seriously as an actor.

     

  14. Anonymous

    March 3, 2011 at 4:19 pm

    I agree fully with you Tina .

     

  15. Selene Hutchison-Zuffi

    June 25, 2020 at 6:58 pm

    He was shy. He said it. Nora said it and Pat said it. I think that is good evidence. His candid pictures and candid videos show a shy man..now..one can be shy and still laugh, talk and have fun..and be loud at time, and loving spotlight. I am a perfect example.