uttered the sentence that would come to be
her catchphrase, “I want to be alone,” in 1932’s
blockbuster Grand Hotel, after years of notori-ety for her publicity-shyness. That single line
referenced not only her character’s state of
mind but also the superstar’s mantra for life.
In one sense, at least, Garbo isn’t alone.
A few smart stars since then have followed
her lead, prizing discretion over disclosure.
Bolly wood icon Suchitra Sen—nicknamed
“India’s Greta Garbo”—was so reclusive that in
2005, she turned down the highest honour in
Indian cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award,
because she could not receive it in absentia.
Keeping quiet about one’s personal life is
even more di;cult with today’s social-media
mentality, but some stars do manage it. The
most singular quality of pop phenomenon
Adele isn’t her crooning music. It’s her ability
to keep her private life, well, private. It took
months for the name of her son to leak to the
media, and even then, it was only when she
wore a necklace with his name. George and
Amal Clooney steer clear of social network-
ing sites, opting for autonomy rather than
constant availability. George has said he likes
to enjoy a drink at night, and wouldn’t want to
unintentionally t weet “something stupid.”
T wo women best embody Garbo’s legacy,
both of them Kates. The first is supermodel
Kate Moss. Still cat walking in the third
decade of her career, she’s a woman of few
words. Painted by Lucien Freud, photo-
graphed by Mario Testino and fêted by the
world, she resisted interviews almost entirely
until launching a second career as a fashion
designer; even then, she preferred pre-taped
sound bites to freewheeling personal gabfests.
The second is Kate Middleton, Duchess of
Cambridge. Perhaps her ironclad discretion
earned her acceptance from royals, wary of a
commoner keen to marry into the family. When
Kate and Prince William split briefly in 2007,
neither she nor her friends tattled to the British
tabloids. Until her engagement in 2010, when
the couple sat down for a choreographed chat
with British TV, Middleton’s public utterances
consisted largely of “Thank you,” or “Excuse
me,” when photographers blocked her path.
There’s an almost paradoxical advantage
to being reclusive rather than inclusive: The
less in-our-face a public figure is, the more
relatable—and also more fascinating—they
become. If only more stars today would invoke
Garbo’s maxim: In life, as in art, less is more. ;
U. K.-born, Ne w York–based Mark Ellwood writes
about travel, fashion and contemporary art for Condé
Nast Traveler, Gotham and T: The New York Times
Style Magazine.
;; ;;;;;; ;;;;; of celebrity is
noisy. From tell-all autobiographies
to torrential late-night t weeting, it’s
a wall-to-wall confessional where the
well-known compete to spill secrets and share
confidences, as if in a race for the Oscar for
Best Interview. Paparazzi snaps are artfully
scheduled, demonstrating the extent to which
stars are ordinary and relatable—hauling
groceries, perhaps, or watering their lawns.
I yearn for modern movie stars to invoke
the woman who put the “silent” in silent
movies: Greta Garbo. The enigmatic actress
was so defined by her penchant for privacy
that she earned the nickname “the Swedish
Sphinx.” Astonishingly, Garbo gave fewer
than a dozen confirmed interviews throughout her entire career, and was so discreet she
rarely signed autographs or even letters. The
studio code of the time mandated carefully
staged public appearances, but Garbo
exempted herself from its requirements.
She got away with it because of her stardom
and her apparent willingness to leave the
U. S. and resume her career in Sweden.
By shunning such expected forms of
personal-life revelation as talk-show appearances, in-depth interviews and social media,
today’s more private celebrities retain great
power. Their stars burn even brighter because
they keep their mystique and pique our imaginations. They are, essentially, white canvases
onto which each fan can scribble anything: passions, hobbies, personality quirks. In so doing,
we turn that famed figure into a personal proxy,
someone with whom we have a connection.
Garbo was one of the few silent-era stars to
transition seamlessly to the age of sound. Her
first recorded line, “Gimme a whiskey, ginger
ale on the side, and don’t be stingy, baby,”
was promoted with the tag line “Garbo talks!”
Unlike many of her silent-movie counterparts, she had a fine voice, sandpapery and
sexy; she just chose to use it sparingly. Garbo
T
The Gift of Garbo
Do we know too much about the personal lives of today’s celebrities? Our
writer looks to a Hollywood icon to remind him why stars of few words have
the most enduring appeal. By Mark Ellwood Illustration by Greg Betza
“A few smart stars since Garbo’s time have followed her lead, prizing discretion over disclosure. “
;pinion
