Quotes About Acting

I had done some flimflam movies, but I didn't understand what being an actor meant anymore.

If a great part comes up and the guy's meant to have an Eastern European accent, great; but if it's a bad part I won't take it.

As an actor, you want roles that are full of meat.

I have enjoyed all mediums; in fiction you are performing in front of a camera, there is no live audience.

I guess I just do 'emasculated' and 'meek' very well.

The last thing I wanted to do was act, because it was the path of least resistance.

Sometimes you can just step into the character, and you get all your feelings and emotions just from sympathizing with her and being her. But then, other times, you just have to resort back to anything that you've been through in your own life and try to play that.

When you have a book as material as it is, it's a lot easier to create a character because you have so many resources to draw upon when acting.

I don't take roles I can't respect. If I can't find a reason to be respectful of the character, I won't do it because I couldn't do it justice.

'Serious acting' is the kind of acting that I don't ever respond to.

As an actor, it's exciting to play a role that's so far from what you are and to have people respond to it like a real human being!

Acting lessons teach you to really listen to what the other person is saying because in acting it's all about responding to the lines.

I am very different to how people think I am. It's the characters I play that they are responding to.

I think when you play a negative character you cannot restrict yourself. You can go wild.

I enjoy doing all kinds of roles, but I don't want to be restricted to comedy alone.

Honestly, playing negative roles is much more fun, because there are no restrictions.

I can put on my resume: 'Can play dead.'

Actors don't, in fact, retire, do they? It took me a while to remember that.

Acting has been my profession for more than 40 years and I can't retire.

I'd love to return to theater.

I reveal all of myself. I bring all of myself to my roles. You only see me. You don't see anything else but me. That is who's there. They're manifestations of my own self.

People do not necessarily reveal what is going on - only bad actors do.

Allison Janney is amazing, and Anna Faris was a revelation to me.

Sometimes you can take those dramatic roles and maybe interject a little humor into them, and I think the reverse also works.