Rhea Mitchell — “The Horror Lady” (1921) 🇬🇧

Rhea Mitchell says it is more difficult to look horrible than pretty.
With few exceptions the aim of every woman who goes in for a motion picture career is to look as beautiful as possible on the screen.
One exception is Rhea Mitchell, one of filmdom’s best-known character actresses, who will be seen shortly in an Allan Dwan production, The Scoffer, presented by the Mayflower Photoplay Corporation.
It takes a lot of courage, Miss Mitchell says, to cast aside whatever charm you may have, and deliberately set out to see how horrible you can look on the screen. And she further states that it is a lot more difficult to look horrible than to look pretty.
“When Mr. Dwan first explained to me that I was to play the part of a neurotic in this picture,” she said, “I must confess I was all at sea.
And as he sketched in quick sentences his idea of the character, the thing loomed up as almost impossible. With his instructions I set about to conceive a study in horror that would meet with his approval.”
Miss Mitchell spent a good deal of time in studying her part, and above you can see some of the expressions which she had to practice for this photo play.
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Collection: Picture Show Magazine, January 1921