Shy?

[Karina]

Most reports of Katharine's personality concentrate on her independent spirit, her energy, her ability to bounce back after life's ups & downs and her go-for-it / just-get-on-with-it mentality. But what about those which mention her shyness? I know lots of actors are paradoxically shy, but is there any real evidence to support this in KH's case?

[Kerrie]

Apart from what Kathrine said about herself, she admitted she was shy there is a lot of other evidence . For example Katharine for most of her life couldn't eat in a public restaurant because she fainted every time - that's was related to shyness and anxiety . There were the problems she had making friends at university - by all accounts she was pretty shy . Most people also don't realise that Katharine suffered a lot of ostracism as a child by her peers - people where they lived often crossed the other side of the street rather than talk to Katharine's mother so that would have been pretty difficult to deal with at times .
Friends of Katharine also said that she was pretty shy

[Catherine]

Aside from the phobia of eating in restaurants, I think it's really apparent that Kate was shy. Some people who are insecure try to counter that by appearing very strong and out-going. Although I do think Katharine was very strong and perhaps out-going although from what I hear she wasn't big on social events, it seems to me that she was sort of insecure all her life. She mentions that in her autobio I believe. Or maybe it's in The Making of the African Queen. She mentions something about being jealous of Lauren Bacall.

[karina]

She thought Bacall was sweet & pretty. But Lauren for her part wrote about how Katie outshone everyone in her Balenciaga costume. Maybe this is just the insecurity all actors/famous people have by being on show so much of the time - I'm not convinced it's real shyness.....

[Cate]

Yes I think "shy" isn't the appropriate word. "Insecure" maybe. The Lauren Bacall example wasn't exactly intended to be evidence of her insecurity... sometimes I type before I think. Insecurity aside, which is a natural characteristic, Kate was an outstanding human being. Totally honest. Totally uninhibited. "Take your pants off!" lol I love it.

Catherine

[mariluna]

I really think she was shy. I don't think this was a pose. This was what I think the first time I saw her in the Cavett interview, and in the first scenes of the Clive James'. But she was used to be before a camera and she was very witty so she could do it, but she was certainly not an exhibitionist. I think she was happier if movie business don't demand so much publicity of her private life.

[smith]

I believe she was shy- this was a woman who couldn't eat in a public restaurant without fainting

[Judy]

What does Tracy say to Macaulay: "I think you put the toughness on to save your skin....I know a little about that...."

I think it was natural shyness and self-consciousness at being looked at everywhere she went.

That Bob Smith book has a great qoute. Something like: People's expectations met her around every corner.

Imagine that kind of pressure in your own life....

Also, I think there was a vulnerability that was essential to her character. I have many, many problems with TEA AT FIVE and with many of the statements Kate Mulgrew has made about Kate in various interviews. But in one interview I received recently she said something I find spot on and just brilliant.

Referring to her performance in ALICE ADAMS but also to Kate in general, she said: "Why, when the cameras close in on Hepburn, do we want to cry, when in fact she's got that flint and that grit? She can be very steely, and yet you want to weep. Her heart was very, very close to the surface and she spent most of her time trying to conceal it, and therein lays the powerful chemistry between Hepburn and her audience."

I think this a wonderful distillation of her appeal.

[Cate]

Yes! What a perfect way to put it. Doesn't shy go with insecurity though? Or is it just a genuine dislike of being looked at and criticized? I used to be shy but I'd like to think I've overcome it... but I never had issues with restaurants. Just crowds of people paying attention to me. Now it's the opposite... I'm always going to restaurants and I like attention. ;D Karaoke is my favorite. A little off topic now but I'm random sometimes. Sorry!

Catherine

[karina]

For my part, I've never associated shyness with not liking to go to restaurants & being gawped at in public. Preferring to eat at home and away from the public glare seems perfectly reasonable for someone so famous, whatever their personality type. The fainting episodes do indicate a certain self-consciousness, but not necessarily shyness, which is basically a mixture of the reticence seen in introverted personality types (which I don't think Kate was) and a form of selfishness & being self-absorbed (to which Kate herself admitted).

Anyway, let's not get bogged down in semantics - there's also another possible explanation for the reluctance to eat in public. In her latest autobiography, Lauren Bacall mentions that Spencer refused to take Kate out to dine unless she wore a dress - she apparently had 2 for this purpose and I can well imagine her preferring to stay home in trousers rather than dress up to eat out. Quite what this says about Spencer though if it's true (I remember reading something else along these lines years ago), is another matter altogether.......

[smith]

Katharine's refusal to go out to restaurants predates Spencer - in fact she did go out a number of times with him and usually fainted .

I don't know why but I think Katharine had a social phobia . They are quite common and some people have them about public speaking - Katharine had a social phobia when it came to restaurants . People with these phobias get anxious in specific situations , maybe in crowds ..

www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/socialphobiamenu.cfm.

It had absolutely nothing to do with Spencer. And I think Katharine was a classic introvert but that's for another posting

[smith]

Karina

I forgot to say that Katharine's problem with eating in restaurants would have been made worse by her fame but it wasn't the cause . I have always suspected that it might have been caused by the incident at Bryn Mawr . Remember Katharine went to the Dining Room and as she walked across the room , one of the seniors called out in front of other people, ah self conscious beauty . Katharine apparently never went back . She ate her meals in her room after that .

[Cate]

Closet introvert... yeah, maybe not even closet. The fact that she never went to social gatherings or restaurants speaks volumes. She was sort of reclusive so I'd definitely say she was an introvert. Of course, some people misinterpret the definitions of introvert and extrovert. Introvert roughly being someone who can be perfectly entertained by their own thoughts and interests (such as me) and an extrovert is happier when surrounded by others and feeds off of them for entertainment. I've never really had any close friendships with extroverts mostly because I can't be around people who need constant attention. Too smothering. The misinterpretations seem to be that introverts are shy and insecure and extroverts are more outgoing and fun. Ha!

Catherine

[karina]

Smith (KT?)- Regarding the Bryn Mawr incident, I've often wondered whether labelling her as an unconscious beauty stuck, as such labels often do, and in fact made her more self-conscious than she would otherwise have been.

And if she suffered from social phobia, I'd say only in its mildest form. In fact, in many ways, she was quite a sociable person and certainly had the situation under control - all the more kudos to her for putting herself constantly under scrutiny in her chosen profession! As for the "classic introvert" idea, let's start a new thread. I think it could be quite interesting.

[smith]

I agree totally that she had only a mild case of social phobia - it didn't affect her that much . Its just an interesting facet of her that rarely gets a mention - people can be so accomplished and everybody has their little quirks .

I think also that people forget that Katharine didn't actually attend high school after the age of 13 . So you can understand that it would have been a enormous shock at 17 to leave your family and live for 4 years with other girls . No wonder she was shy .

I have never read any of the biographers mention what affect it might have had on Katharine that she didn't attend high school - it might have had a great affect - increased her creativity .