Geena Davis memoir shows how she learned to stand up for herself
by David Hugh Smith
Oct 28, 2022
4 minutes
Judging by her movie roles, it’s hard to imagine actor Geena Davis as the excessively deferential child she describes in her memoir, “Dying of Politeness.” Still, the lesson she learned early on from her parents was, “don’t say something that could possibly be perceived as impolite.”
This mantra held, even when the family’s safety was at stake: She recalls a time as a child when her parents refrained from saying anything to a relative who was, potentially catastrophically, driving in the wrong lane while chauffeuring the family.
Over-politeness did not serve Davis well when she began her acting career. But
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