Angela Lansbury Said Her ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Character Was Closest to the Woman She Might Have Been If She Wasn’t an Actor

Angela Lansbury had a successful acting career that spanned almost eight decades. She once said her Murder, She Wrote TV character was the closest to the woman she might have been if she didn’t become an actor.

Angela Lansbury would have been like her ‘Murder, She Wrote’ character if she wasn’t an actor

Lansbury described herself as a character actress. However, she said she wasn’t a character actress in Murder, She Wrote.

“I am a character actress first and foremost,” said Lansbury during an interview with The New York Times. “Although, the one area where I was not a character actress was playing Jessica Fletcher. Jessica Fletcher was probably about as close–not to me–but to the sort of woman I might have been had I not been an actress.”

Lansbury says her character was very aware. “She noticed things,” said Lansbury. “She had an ability to pick up on little bits and pieces of information which solved crimes.”

Some actors say they’re a little like their characters, but this wasn’t the case for Lansbury. She said none of Jessica Fletcher was part of her personality.

“Well, not really any of her,” she tells The New York Times when asked how much of her personality was wrapped up in her Murder, She Wrote character. “But let’s say my sensitivity, yes, at times, because those things are going to reveal themselves.”

Angela Lansbury’s movies and TV shows

One of Lansbury’s early acting roles was in the 1944 movie Gaslight. She played the role of Nancy. That same year, Lansbury played Edwina Brown in National Velvet. In 1945, she played Sibyl Vane in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Lansbury gained attention after playing Eleanor Shaw Iselin in the 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate. Lansbury is also known for playing Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote. She appeared in 264 episodes from 1984 to 1996.

 Some of Lansbury’s other acting roles include appearances in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Magnum P.I., Touched by an Angel, Little Women, and Mary Poppins Returns.

Lansbury said she was never going to be a ‘big movie star’

Lansbury told The New York Times she was never going to be a big movie star because she didn’t have the look that was in demand. She said she was primarily a good actor, not “a pretty face.”

“They weren’t going to groom me to be an over-the-title star,” said Lansbury. “But then I never was really that kind of material. If I had been knock-down fantastic—Betty Grabel legs—maybe I would have been able to force them to put me up there and to build me into a big movie star. But I was hampered by the fact that I was too good an actress. I was primarily an actress and not a pretty face.”  

One role Lansbury was very proud of was her starring role in The Manchurian Candidate. She referred to it as “one of the great, great, roles of my career,” during her talk with The Times. “I am forever grateful that I had the chance to do it,” she added.

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