Quotes About Acting

I was always going to be a dancer - I drifted into acting.

I used to be a dancer, and for me it was a really good combination of dance and acting.

I never thought of myself as a Broadway actress. I'm not really a singer or a dancer.

When I was a dancer, I was acting.

I started working on stage as a dancer when I was four; by 14 or 15, I knew I wanted to study the craft of acting.

I grew up learning ballet, and then I took up contemporary as I got older. I probably thought I was going to be a ballet dancer when I was younger, but at a certain age, I really was more interested in acting.

I've had more of an opportunity to work with Katie Holmes, which is incredibly enjoyable. I think she is really one of the best actresses on the market right now. She forces you to bring your best stuff to the table, because if you don't, she just completely overpowers you.

When I came into the acting profession, it was quite hierarchical. You didn't sit at the same table as the leading actor. Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud... these were very, very intimidating and powerful people.

On 'Lab Rats,' I read the script probably three or four times before we ever even do a table read because I want to be completely prepared. And I want to know exactly which beats I have to hit and where I need to make something comical. Some lines need a little more than others do just to get the point across, to get the joke to be funny.

At 24, my head was as shiny as a cue ball on a billiard table. I naturally thought this meant curtains. Actually, I found it helped. When I was too young to play real character parts, they mistook me for older because of the bald noggin. I got juicy roles right from the start.

Sitting at the table during Color Purple and looking up and suddenly realizing I was acting in front of Steven Spielberg, was pretty cool. It was pretty good.

When someone pitches a joke for a character that is just perfect, and you can imagine that actor reading that line at your table read or on the set, it's like the sound of a snap snapping into place.

I try to ground most of my characters in reality somehow. That's kind of what I bring to the table.

Very little gets offered to me. I have to audition and bawl my eyes out. For 'Broadchurch,' the scene was Danny lying on the mortuary table. I can't remember the last audition I had where I didn't come out drenched in sweat, puffy-eyed.

I remember the first reading of the script we had and everybody was sitting around the table. I was very impressed with the level of acting that was in the room, particularly with Jennifer who has so much responsibility.

I get horrified when I have to do table reads with the whole cast, because there's a lot of stuttering coming from me, so I have to do a lot of prep.

I'm not a big fan of table reads or sitting around a table and reading a script. I'd rather do it on set and do it for real.

When I was younger - I don't do this too much now - but sometimes if I couldn't sleep, I would lie in bed and imagine all the characters I've played at a dinner table together.

I recently did a play, Athol Fugard's 'Coming Home' at Long Wharf Theatre, where I played one character throughout - I sat at a table and didn't have any costume changes. Following one character's arc from beginning to end is a whole different mindset.

I felt more comfortable playing other people than being myself, when I was a kid. And then, the tables turned. Through my performances, I've become more comfortable with who I am, and then I just bring more of myself into the people that I play.

Not taboo - it's just that straight actors still risk their careers commercially and economically. They have to please the crowd - they're movie stars; their image is their industry. It goes beyond acting.

I've played almost every lead character from Henry VI to Othello. I'm dying to tackle Richard III sometime.

I obviously bring all of my insecurities along with me to any role that I tackle.

'House of Cards' opened some doors. I've been able to tackle some diverse stories and characters.