Ingenue
noun
A young and innocent girl or young actor who plays this kind of character.
In the play, she was cast as the innocent ingenue who falls in love with the hero.
Often appears as...
- play the ingenue
- innocent ingenue
noun
An innocent or unsophisticated young woman, especially in a play or film.
She got her first big break playing the ingenue in a summer stock production.
Often appears as...
- play the ingenue
- naive ingenue
noun
A young and innocent girl or young actor who plays this kind of character.
In the play, she was cast as the innocent ingenue who falls in love with the hero.
Often appears as...
- play the ingenue
- innocent ingenue
noun
An innocent or unsophisticated young woman, especially in a play or film.
She got her first big break playing the ingenue in a summer stock production.
Often appears as...
- play the ingenue
- naive ingenue
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Literary Origin
Originally, 'ingenue' referred to innocent young women in plays and novels.
Her favorite role was the ingenue in a classic Victorian novel.
Pro Tip 2/3Typecasting Risk
Actors playing ingenues may be typecast, limiting them to similar roles in the future.
After several ingenue roles, she sought to avoid typecasting.
Pro Tip 3/3Cultural Shift
Today, the ingenue stereotype is challenged to reflect more complex female characters.
Modern audiences prefer an ingenue with depth and agency.
Pro Tip 1/3Literary Origin
Originally, 'ingenue' referred to innocent young women in plays and novels.
Her favorite role was the ingenue in a classic Victorian novel.
Pro Tip 2/3Typecasting Risk
Actors playing ingenues may be typecast, limiting them to similar roles in the future.
After several ingenue roles, she sought to avoid typecasting.
Pro Tip 3/3Cultural Shift
Today, the ingenue stereotype is challenged to reflect more complex female characters.
Modern audiences prefer an ingenue with depth and agency.
Pro Tip 1/3Literary Origin
Originally, 'ingenue' referred to innocent young women in plays and novels.
Her favorite role was the ingenue in a classic Victorian novel.
Pro Tip 2/3Typecasting Risk
Actors playing ingenues may be typecast, limiting them to similar roles in the future.
After several ingenue roles, she sought to avoid typecasting.
Pro Tip 3/3Cultural Shift
Today, the ingenue stereotype is challenged to reflect more complex female characters.
Modern audiences prefer an ingenue with depth and agency.
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Quote examples
Kathy Bates
American Actress
I was never an ingenue. I've always just been a character actor. When I was younger, it was a real problem, because I was never pretty enough. It was hard, not just for the lack of work, but because you have to face up to how people are looking at you.
Quote examples
Jennifer Coolidge
American Actress
I don't know what I am. I guess you can call me a character actor in the sense that I'll never be an ingenue. You know, that's over. My shot was missed. I take a normal person and make them more of a character. I don't know what that would be called.
Quote examples
Geraldine Page
American Actress
They did cast me as an ingenue once, and the novelty was nice. But I said, 'There is nothing here to play!' I really like getting into the meat of a role.
Quote examples
Sissy Spacek
American Actress
There's kind of a time you get warned about where the rug gets pulled out from under you: beyond ingenue, before you get into character stuff.
Quote examples
Kelli O'Hara
American Actress
I've always wanted my characters to have more dimension and realistic cores than the ingenue material often provides. It's been a challenge.
Quote examples
Kay Cannon
American Writer
I wasn't, like, pretty enough to be the ingenue; I wasn't 'character' enough to be the goofball sidekick. I'm kind of ethnically ambiguous.
Quote examples
Ming-Na Wen
Chinese Actress
I'm trying to show I'm a trained actress - I can transform myself into different characters. I'm not just an ingenue.
Quote examples
Patricia Arquette
American Actress
Frankly, there is no shorter shelf life other than that of a child actor, than that of the ingenue.
Quote examples
Lea Salonga
Filipino Actress
I can't be an ingenue forever, and I wouldn't want to be.
Quote examples
Patricia Routledge
English Actress
I was never an ingenue, thank God; always character.
Quote examples
Kathy Bates
American Actress
I was never an ingenue. I've always just been a character actor. When I was younger, it was a real problem, because I was never pretty enough. It was hard, not just for the lack of work, but because you have to face up to how people are looking at you.
Quote examples
Jennifer Coolidge
American Actress
I don't know what I am. I guess you can call me a character actor in the sense that I'll never be an ingenue. You know, that's over. My shot was missed. I take a normal person and make them more of a character. I don't know what that would be called.
Quote examples
Geraldine Page
American Actress
They did cast me as an ingenue once, and the novelty was nice. But I said, 'There is nothing here to play!' I really like getting into the meat of a role.
Quote examples
Sissy Spacek
American Actress
There's kind of a time you get warned about where the rug gets pulled out from under you: beyond ingenue, before you get into character stuff.
Quote examples
Kelli O'Hara
American Actress
I've always wanted my characters to have more dimension and realistic cores than the ingenue material often provides. It's been a challenge.
Quote examples
Kay Cannon
American Writer
I wasn't, like, pretty enough to be the ingenue; I wasn't 'character' enough to be the goofball sidekick. I'm kind of ethnically ambiguous.
Quote examples
Ming-Na Wen
Chinese Actress
I'm trying to show I'm a trained actress - I can transform myself into different characters. I'm not just an ingenue.
Quote examples
Patricia Arquette
American Actress
Frankly, there is no shorter shelf life other than that of a child actor, than that of the ingenue.
Quote examples
Lea Salonga
Filipino Actress
I can't be an ingenue forever, and I wouldn't want to be.
Quote examples
Patricia Routledge
English Actress
I was never an ingenue, thank God; always character.
Example 1 of 10
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