When she was young, she had a small part in a play, but everyone looked at her. Dull her down, the director said, throw an old coat over her. They did, but everyone still looked at her.

When a man on the street whistled and said, Oh, baby, she stopped and gave a speech: This man is impugning my dignity as a woman. A crowd gathered, and the whistler slunk away.

Once, racing to an audition, she got held up at gunpoint, but she said, I’m sorry, I don’t have time to be mugged, and the man lowered his gun and laughed and let her go.