Quotes from Michael Shurtleff

Consistency is the death of good acting.

Humor [in a scene] is not jokes. It is that attitude toward being alive without which you would long ago have jumped off the 59th Street Bridge.

Creating relationship is the heart of acting. It is basic. It is essential.

Competition [in a scene] is healthy. Competition is life. Yet most actors refuse to acknowledge this. They don't want to compete. They want to get along. And they are therefore not first-rate actors.

The life of an actor is a bit easier to take if you admit you're bonkers.

Humor is an attitude, a survivor's way of looking at life. It's not about telling jokes.

There's only one reason why a character drinks: to seek confrontation. To fight for what they want in ways normally denied them.

Take nothing for granted. Make an emotional discovery as often as you can find one in every scene. Ask yourself: What is new?

To go into acting is like asking for admission to an insane asylum. Anyone may apply, but only the certifiably insane are admitted.

Conflict is drama.

Forget about weak or strong, aggressive or passive. There are no passive characters, there are no weak ones. There is winning and there is losing, but every actor must fight for something he wants and needs. If you are concerned about getting what you need, then you will never let preconceived judgments get in your way.

To go into acting is like asking for admission to an insane asylum. Anyone may apply, but only the certifiably insane are admitted.