Quotes About Acting

At acting school people didn't speak like me. It was all received pronunciation - 'ow now brown cow.'

I've received some English-speaking scripts, but I was not interested in them.

I had a teacher in college who drastically changed the course of my life by telling me that he believed in me as an actor. I never received that support before, and it inspired to me to such a degree that I never looked back. He taught me that it's okay to be crappy; it's okay to fight; it's okay to go to any length.

People approach you for the work they have seen you do. I don't think people see me as a lover boy dancing around, so I haven't received a role of that kind. I'm going to do roles that appeal to me.

When I came to Mumbai in 2005 for a holiday, I received work offers. So I decided to stay back and pursue a modelling and acting career.

I think one of the worst notes I think I've ever received was Ang Lee on 'Brokeback Mountain.' He came in on coverage, and he was like, 'More, more handsome.' I was like, 'I'll try that.'

I love doing humorous roles and I write my characters that way. But I haven't received many offers from others to do comedy.

Shwetha Menon is my good friend and I have nothing against her. But, the Kerala State Award for the Best Actress has been given to her for Paleri Manickam' in which somebody else dubbed for her. I received only the second best actress award for my performance in Pazhassi Raja,' where I have dubbed in my own voice.

In college I received the Best Actor award for four consecutive years under Calicut University.

Acting was a lot like football. When you're a DB and you're one on one with a receiver, you're going to dance. It's go-time in front of 100,000 people and everybody watching on TV. That's exactly how it is when a director says 'Action!' It's the same adrenaline rush, the same training process. I love it.

My greatest accomplishment is receiving my role on 'Guiding Light.'

I realized that acting is not all about receiving people's applause or cheer. It is about delivering the right character to the audience and feeling satisfied in who you become on stage. Therefore, I try to focus more on the abstract qualities of acting, and I hope to become a better actress throughout time.

I love acting in different genres and in recent times, 'D for Dopidi' was one such film; however, more often, I am approached to do love stories.

I loved being in the film called 'Carnal Knowledge' - the one with Jack Nicholson, which was very dark but a really brilliant movie. I loved being in 'The Ritz.' 'The Ritz' I think is just hilarious. I just saw it again recently and by God, it's still funny!

It's also a question of finding good material and interesting roles. I'm not the only actress out there, and good parts just don't fall into your lap that easily. But I like most of the films I've made recently and so I'm pretty positive about the future.

It's a big responsibility, I think, when you play somebody who has existed but also somebody who has just recently passed away.

Recently, I did the Bengali film 'Rang Milanti,' directed by Kaushik Ganguly. I think my role in that is much better than in 'Kahaani.'

When you're acting in a movie, you never consider the reception of it. It's impossible to predict how something will be received. Even if you think it's the greatest thing in the world, other people might not like it. Or agree with it.

If I had to say the secret recipe for acting melodrama, I think it comes from myself in real life. I have a belief that when I do melo scenes, I try to make them less cheesy.

When we are filming, it often feels like we're flying blind. As an actor, you have no idea if your choices are right or if they work. Some scenes feel like a complete Hail Mary. Imagine you're blindfolded and cook a massive Thanksgiving feast with only new recipes - without getting to taste any of them along the way.

When you're on TV, you're looking at a half-page of material, trying to memorize it really quickly. By the time it's on TV, I've already forgotten what I said, but I can still recite my whole role from Shakespeare in the Park. It works a different set of muscles.

If you can read, then you can recite Shakespeare. But that's not acting.

I've made many career mistakes in the eight years that I've been acting. I did films that I never should have. I was young, inexperienced, and a bit reckless.

I've always waitressed between roles. When 'Black Mirror' was on, I was still flipping burgers. Customers would recognise me while asking for extra ketchup, which was pretty embarrassing.