Ava in Her Own Words

“I came into the world at 10:00 at night, and I’ve often thought that that was the reason I turned into such a nocturnal creature. When the sun sets honey, I feel more, oh, alert. More alive. By midnight, I feel fantastic. Even when I was a little girl, my father would shake his head and say, ‘Let’s just hope you get a job where you work nights.’ Movies aren’t made at night, but I must have seen more sunrises than any actress in Hollywood.”

“Many people have told me … that my image and my career as a star were drawn in The Killers, where I imposed myself as a fatal siren with undulating hips and a vertiginous neckline, capable of setting fire to the planet while leaning on a piano. This is not me at all … I am just a country girl with a country girl’s values.”

“I decided from the very first that the MGM contract abused my sense of personal human rights. We were told what to do, when to do it and how, and we were paid very little. I used to joke that we were the only kind of merchandise allowed to leave the store at night, but it wasn’t a very funny situation. And this particular piece of merchandise was female, Southern female. I decided from the first that I had the right to act according to my own principles. And if mine clashed with theirs, and they did not like it, that was not going to be my problem.”

“One thing about me, and it’s been a gift straight from heaven, or maybe it’s from the other place, is that no matter how much I have had to drink, I never stumble, never weave, and I never slur my speech, qualities I put down to a good Irish-Scottish capacity to hold strong drink. I love parties and staying up late, and when I drink it is for the effect. I am happy when I drink.”

“I certainly was a tomboy. I loved games…action, and I could match most of the boys. Run just as quick. Climb just as high. Take as many risks.”

“ I’ve always felt a prisoner of my image, felt that people preferred the myths and didn’t want to hear about the real me at all. Because I was promoted as a sort of a siren and played all those sexy broads, people made the mistake of thinking I was like that off screen. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Although no one believes it, I came to Hollywood almost pathologically shy, a country girl with a country girl’s simple, ordinary values.”

“The truth is that the only time I’m happy is when I’m doing absolutely nothing. I don’t understand people who like to work and talk about it like it was some … duty. Doing nothing feels like floating on warm water to me. Delightful, perfect.”

“What you have to understand about me, honey, is that I’m a normal human being, just like any other. Sanity is more important to me than celebrity any day of the week, and I consider my personal life to be my own affair.”

“And, you know, if I had to live my life over again, I’d live it the very same way. Maybe a few changes here and there, but nothing special. Because the truth is, honey, I’ve enjoyed my life. I’ve had a hell of a good time.”