Kim Novak quotes

Kim Novak is an American actress best known for her iconic performances in classic Hollywood films, especially Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo". Her beauty and enigmatic on-screen presence made her a prominent star of the 1950s and 1960s. She has received numerous awards and continues to be an influential figure in cinema history. Here are 36 of her quotes:

My security comes from my senses, my sensing the direction I should go and suddenly I felt out of tune, out of step with what other people wanted or what other people expected of me.

Kim Novak

I loved acting, which was never about money, the fame. It was about a search for meaning. It was painful.

Kim Novak

The work I did in Vertigo meant nothing if no one cared about the movie. Luckily, Vertigo had a revival and people had begun to recognize there was something special and it gained in reputation. But it just as well could have ended up rotting in film cans somewhere.

Kim Novak

As I said, I began losing confidence in my instincts, which is tough and very bad for an instinctive person.

Kim Novak

I always felt Jimmy was trapped in Hollywood. He felt it himself. He loved aviation so much and he wanted to be able to do more of that. He somehow just got stuck here.

Kim Novak

I used Jimmy to give me what I needed to keep going and to know that I was on the right path with it. I thought I saw Jimmy's soul all the time we worked. He never covered his soul and I never covered mine. We saw into each other's souls, very definitely.

Kim Novak

If you want to live on the edge of life, you need to be flexible.

Kim Novak

I don't think you want to give all the answers, but I think every answer you do give should bring up another question, and not all questions should be answered.

Kim Novak

For every answer, I like to bring up a question. Maybe I'm related to Alfred Hitchcock or maybe I got to know him too well, but I think life should be that way.

Kim Novak

I think it will be helpful to people because I know the expectations that are put on you as a sex symbol, and how Marilyn Monroe suffered and so on, and I was able to get free of that.

Kim Novak

We only did probably two, three takes on every scene we did, at the most.

Kim Novak

The first time I was in his office was when they called me in to tell me they had changed my name. I had a feeling that if I'd gone along with the name they'd chosen, I'd never be seen again. I'd be swallowed up by that name, because it was a false name: Kit Marlowe.

Kim Novak

I was always opinionated.

Kim Novak

The thing I loved about Alfred Hitchcock is that he left a lot of open ends there, a lot of clues that didn't really add up the way you think they would, and sometimes, not at all.

Kim Novak

I love San Francisco. It would be a perfect place for a honeymoon.

Kim Novak

I knew Rita Hayworth only enough to know that she was just a tender, sensitive, beautiful human being. A lovely person. Very gentle. She would never stand up for her rights.

Kim Novak

I had a lot of resentment for a while toward Kim Novak. But I don't mind her anymore. She's okay. We've become friends. I even asked her before this trip for some beauty tips.

Kim Novak

I tried so hard with movies like Vertigo and Middle of the Night and others. I felt those would show me that it's only a matter of time before I'd find the right one to reach out and touch people.

Kim Novak

And I went through a lot of detours and I took a lot of roads and things so yes, that's all there, but it's not meant to be shocking or telltale.

Kim Novak

Well, I'm Czech, but Polish, Czech, no matter, it's my name.

Kim Novak

So, Hitchcock wouldn't say anything about my work in the movie but, on the other hand, he wouldn't complain, either.

Kim Novak

I live way out in the country, so there's not a lot of people around to remind me. And my friends don't think of me as 'Kim Novak' anymore anyway. It's like they forgot, too. And so it's nice.

Kim Novak