All About Eve Admiration

People worship celebrities. They're not called "stars" because they're hot balls of burning gas… (okay, some of them are.) They're stars because they seem to be on a different level than the rest of us, something for us lowly humans to literally look up to. Most celebrities crave attention and we're happy to give it to them. Where's the line between admiration and obsession, though? Wherever it is, in All About Eve, Eve definitely crosses it. The ruthless quest for fame and adulation is one of the film's main themes. Eve thinks fame will make her immortal, but…oh, wait. We're still talking about Bette Davis' performance 65 years later, aren't we…

Questions About Admiration

1. Eve wins an acting award even though earlier she had been blacklisted by Margo's friends. What changed? Do her other peers actually admire her acting?
2. Aside from acting, does anyone respect Eve after everything she does? Does Addison actually respect Eve in his own weird way?
3. What do Bill and Margo admire about each other despite all their conflict?

Chew on This

Eve truly admires Margo, but that doesn't stop her from using Margo to her own advantage.

Eve doesn't really admire Margo—she just wants what she has. She's emotionally incapable of genuine human emotion.