Shirley Temple: Crying on cue was method acting

As a child actress, Shirley Temple was noted for being able to cry on cue for a movie scene. In a 1999 interview, she explained how she did it:

“I guess I was an early method actress. I would go to a quiet part of the sound stage with my mother. I wouldn’t think of anything sad, I would just make my mind a blank. In a minute I could cry. I didn’t like to cry after lunch, because I was too content.”

The talent came in handy when she was 21 and driving up Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu in her new red convertible with leather upholstery. The Highway Patrol stopped her for speeding.

As the officers approached her car, she remembers telling herself: “You’re an actress. Cry!” She did, and the officers were so sympathetic they escorted her back to her home.