Sometimes when you’re watching a movie, you start to see yourself in certain characters and personalities—if not your “whole” self, then certain aspects of your own personality. I know that Carrie tends to define herself as a mixture of Irene Dunne and the Hepburns (Kate and Audrey). And when I “define” Nikki, I always think of her as part Cinderella, part Sabrina, and part Maureen O’Hara, with a bit of Sandra Bullock thrown in (though I don’t know if she’d agree with me on some of that). But I’ve never really sat down and tried to define myself in this way.
So in the interest of such self-definition (and because it was kinda fun), I formulated a sort of recipe—a “soup” of classic movie characters who, I believe, when combined make the highly delicious (and not at all nutritious) … well, ME.
Take a heaping helping of:
Scarlett O'Hara's (GWTW) bitchiness and general selfishness (hey, I never said I was perfect) ...
… and add a few cups of …
Ann Newton's (Shadow of a Doubt) bookworminess and precociousness ...
… and throw in a pinch of …
Scout Finch's (To Kill a Mockingbird) perceptiveness, mischievousness, and Alabama roots ...
and add a generous portion of …
Elizabeth Lane's (Christmas in Connecticut) writerly career and wit ...
… with a teaspoon or two of …
Alice in Wonderland's sometimes detrimental curiosity ...
… and finally, a dash of …
Susan Vance's (Bringing Up Baby) impulsiveness and unadulterated adoration for Cary Grant ...
… and there you have it: Brandie’s Personality Soup a la Movie Characters. It’s finger-lickin’ good! (Um …)
Now that you’ve seen me in a nutshell, tell me: what “ingredients” would find their way into your character soup?
True Classics 
Aww. I LOVE Maureen O’Hara. Strong woman who takes care of what needs doing and is not intimidated by anyone least of all John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, or Brian Keath. The only thing I might add is a little bit Belle for bookworminess and Bunny Watson (Katherine Hepburn in Desk Set) for know-it-all-ness.
Can I steal this idea for my blog? I promise to credit you.
Of course, Rich!
Cary Grant’s other-worldly charm from “The Bishop’s Wife” – 50%
Cary Grant’s mischievousness from “Mr. Lucky” – 20%
Kevin Costner’s spiritualism from “Field of Dreams” – 20%
Humphrey Bogart’s fatalism from “The Barefoot Contessa” – 10%
Brandie,
What a cute post! Now to put my creative thinking cap on.
I’ll whip up a really peculiar character with a mean streak so here goes
Laurence Olivier’s character from Rebecca 30%
Ann Baxter’s character from All About Eve 20%
Charles Boyer’s character from Gaslight 30%
then top it off with
Laird Cregar from The Lodger 20%
That character should keep everyone up at night.
Page
Yeah … I don’t think I’d want to meet your character in a dark alley, Page! 😀
I like the heaping helping of bitchiness. That made me smile. 😀
Just because you, of all people, know how true it is. 😉
I was delighted by your post. Anybody with a few cups of Ann Newton is A-OK in my book. (Ooh, is that a pun?)
Asking who would make up our soup at the end is a “won’t be able to sleep until I do it” proposition.
H’m.
– The stock is Penny Sycamore (You Can’t Take It With You) – caring, yet vague. Distracted by artistic pursuits.
– A heaping portion of Mrs. Jumbo (Dumbo) – the protective mom of a special needs son.
– Seasoned with Stella (Rear Window) – opinionated and unafraid.
I love this “recipe!” All three of these characters are just wonderful.
Love it! Though I have no idea how I would define myself. Hmm…
Oh man, this is tapping right into my narcissism. I’m definitely going to have to use this (I mean, I kind of already think about it enough). Nice job!