Patricia Arquette is opening up about her early acting roles and being cast for her looks. Arquette’s undeniable beauty was something of a liability to her, as she explained to Page Six, “I really was conscious about trying to get out of that ingenue situation as quickly as possible.”
Arquette’s breakout role came in 1993 when she starred as Alabama Whitman in the cult classic film “True Romance.” The actor wasn’t comfortable being categorized as Hollywood’s latest “It Girl” and didn’t want to rely on her appearance to land roles. “Beauty felt really dangerous to me and a bit scary,” she revealed. “It also felt one-note, and felt like [it had] a short shelf life.”
The Role That Gave Patricia Arquette Hope
GettyArquette continued appearing in films where her beauty was on display such as 1997’s “Lost Highway” directed by David Lynch. But in 2001, she landed a role in “Human Nature” playing a woman with hypertrichosis, a condition where hair grows excessively all over the body.
The actor shared that she loved the film, as she was “covered in hair” for much of her screen time. “I didn’t want to be limited by my own beauty,” Arquette said, explaining that she’d always had “an intense conflict” with the way she saw herself and the way she was perceived. “I didn’t even feel beautiful myself, but the world was treating me like that,” she revealed.
Arquette, 57, went on to appear in a wide range of TV and film projects, garnering many awards including two Emmys and an Oscar. Among the numerous roles for which Arquette received critical acclaim were her portrayals in “Escape at Dannemora” and “The Act.” The actor was almost unrecognizable in both miniseries, and her stellar performances took center stage.
Patricia Arquette’s Own Beauty Bias
GettyThe “Severance” star has had a long and impressive acting career and in 2023 she made her directorial debut with the film “‘Gonzo Girl.” According to Arquette, her complicated feelings about beauty came back to the surface while considering model Camila Morrone for the lead role.
“I was like, ‘Oh, no, maybe that’s distracting.’ Then I was like, ‘Hold on, what is this reverse bias I have?’” Arquette explained. She ended up giving the role to Morrone after all, and acknowledged the difficulties many women face in the entertainment industry. “It’s like, ‘Oh, you’re so pretty. That’s all you get in this life. You don’t get to be the great actor, too.’” But Arquette knows from personal experience how far from the truth that is.
