“When I was one and twenty, I partied every night and still was ready for my close-up in the early morning light. By the time I hit my thirties this girl stayed in every night. With the proper rest and makeup I could still get parts all right. Now that I’ve turned forty I’ve abandoned film for the stage. (The poetry of youth decays into prose by middle age.) On the boards I can play younger. In kindlylight I still get by, But my film career is over because The camera doesn’t lie.”
An aging Ingénue realizes that she is no longer ready for her close up.