A good example of this is when when she recounted her experience of riding in the same elevator with Robert Redford.
In my and many other people's opinion, he was one of the most handsome American men in modern times. However, the anecdote by my teacher completely shattered that dream.
"First of all, he is very short," she said. "I'm a short woman, and he was less than ten centimeters taller than I."
In fact, a long article in the New York magazine raised this very question.
His skin was full of small craters like he had a lot of acne in his youth, she continued. His hair was so dry and hard like steel. "In short, he was so ugly," she summarized.
The magic of foundation cream, making sure to choose an actress shorter than him, and all the camerawork did the trick. "But he has charming eyes that capture the heart of the audience."
That reminded me of something a visitor from the U.S. told me after taking a group photo: "You're photogenic."
Did he mean I was ugly in person? "No, it just means you look great in the picture," a colleague of his said.
What makes the difference between the simply not good looking and the photogenic? "Photographers know that," my teacher said. That's why they look around the streets and approach potential models or actors.
My all-time favorite scene in all of Robert Redford's movies is in Up Close and Personal. At the airport, he sees off his staffer who is leaving him for her next career step. I agree with my English teacher. It is his eyes and ambience that make him a star.
