Famous People Who Admit to
Nervousness and Stage Fright
Show me a person who says, “I never feel nervous when I go
to present,” and “I’ll show you an “automatic presenter.”
Some of the world’s most
famous presenters freely admit to nervousness and stage fright—
Benedict Cumberbatch - He
is so adorable, and his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes a marvel. And I loved him
in The Imitation Game. He does, like Hugh Grant, often play bumbling and or odd
characters so he can channel his nervousness into the part.
Adele - That booming
voice, and she still gets scared.
Bob Dylan - That
incredible creative man has stage fright. I get he has a bad voice, but he is a
poet/lyricist of great magnificence.
Jason Alexander - He acts
nervous all the time, how can he tell? By the way did you see him in the TV
version of Bye Bye Birdie? Lots of fun.
Maya Angelou - She writes
magnificently and has that amazing voice, but she also has stage fright.
Hugh Grant - There is a
great interview on YouTube where he talks about it. Look up Graham Norton Show
Hugh Grant Stage Fright. He talks about he even gets it working on animated
films!
Annie Lenox - She says
she gets over it by enjoying the moment.
Brian Wilson - (The Beach Boys) Receives shoulder and neck rubs and prays before his concerts.
Sir Lawrence Olivier - Yes,
one of the greatest actors of all time had stage fright.
Barbara Streisand -
(singer and actress) I have seen her perform live. She had not done a live
performance in years. She is wonderful, and you can see that she is a bit shy
but she uses humor to overcome her fear.
Nicole Kidman (actress) - I was surprised. In her roles she always comes
across as a bit plastic. I don’t see the vulnerability other people seem to
see.
Michael Douglas - (actor) Yes, surprising.
Alfred Hitchcock - (director) I took a film class on him and read several
biographies. As a child his mother was ill, and made him come home from school
every day and stand at the end of her bed and report on his day. That would
strike fear into anyone’s heart.
Winston Churchill - He dealt with it by drinking!
John Cougar Mellancamp
(musician, actor)
William
Shatner - He just keeps taking risks, and darn I admire that. If you can find
the TV show where he and his wife remodel their home, you will be charmed with
his boundless enthusiasm. I think that helps him as well.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
