Quotes About Acting

I hold theatre acting in such high esteem that it scares me.

I am auditioning again - getting back to theatre would be amazing.

Part of what I enjoy about the theatre and acting is that sense of history.

The idea of doing theatre always terrified me because I get terrible stage fright. In the early 1970s I was offered a panto but the thought of going on stage was just too mortifying.

I'm thinking of doing more theatre. It makes me very happy.

When it is good, theatre takes a lot of beating both to watch and perform.

For my first acting job I played the role of Ensign Pulver in 'Mr. Roberts' at the Manitoba Theatre Centre.

I like to use my hands. When I was in theatre in college, that was one of my biggest notes: 'You use your hands too much.'

I've played a lot of roles I haven't wanted to play, either because they needed someone in the theatre or because they couldn't do it without me 'cause they don't have anyone else the right age.

My first Broadway show was with Elizabeth Taylor and Maureen Stapleton. Maureen Stapleton, a legend in the theatre; Elizabeth Taylor, a legend, period.

I love theatre. It's far more satisfying than film. Sometimes there's a collective sigh from the audience, or it's so quiet you can hear a pin drop. I couldn't believe how easy acting was when there's an audience; after a few previews I almost couldn't do it without one.

I grew up performing in theatre.

I have done film, television and theatre - all at a pretty substantial level - I don't think it's possible for American actors to do that.

That's the thing - you do a job like 'Shameless,' and suddenly that's why you can get a job like 'The Virgin Queen', not because of all the classical theatre you've done. But we can be very snippy about television. It's absolutely the most potent and powerful form of storytelling we have.

I love theatre because it's just me and the audience. It's the litmus test in acting, to be able to sustain a performance over one, two or three hours.

I want to do theatre and I want to do period drama.

What I love is a good role. In the theatre, there is just a canon of extraordinary roles, the quality of character is amazing, but I also love working in front of a camera. It was the first one for me; as a kid I was in front of a camera. I feel at home.

You do T.V. and movies to make the money, and then you do theatre for the love of it.

I hope to be still acting when I'm 70 on TV, film and theatre.

I've found a lot of the thinking in America is that a lot of people become actors to become famous. At least from my experience, I have a dozen or so British friends who are actors, and if you look at their body of work, and they'll go do theatre, and they'll go do this and this. They work, and they're always honing and trying to be better.

The repetition of the theatre means you've got the time to get deeply inside the person you're playing.

My main ambitions, really, are in the theatre.

I took theatre and stuff in college, then I took a bunch of different acting classes here in L.A. Sometimes when I have a hard audition, I'll call my acting coach and he'll come help me. I actually get more nervous in acting class than I do at an actual audition. It's actually a really great way to get over your nerves.

I don't really have a theatre background at all.