Quotes About Acting

I think it's incumbent on actresses to bring something else to the part which isn't in the script.

I loved plays, I loved films, but I had no desire to act until I had just put out my album 'Like Water for Chocolate.' Creatively, I felt like I'd hit a ceiling, and I needed something else to express myself, and I just decided to take acting classes.

I don't want to be 45 competing with 20-year-olds, running to go get Botox. I want to be an expressive actor hired for the age that I am, portraying women who are my age: 40. I'm just hoping I can find some of those roles to play. Otherwise, I have to find something else.

Sitcoms are incredibly limiting. When you do a sitcom and it becomes a signature part for you, it's harder to do something else; but if you do a drama, you can get lost in it and have a role to do other things.

I don't like the way some actors, when playing a nasty character, will try to grab hold of something good about them.

To me, no matter who you're casting for what role, if something's authentic, usually you can mine something good there.

For me, it's always the script. The script which gives me the chance to do something new; that has been my prime objective ever since I started acting. There's nothing else that excites me more than that.

The best place to learn acting is your own home. Everyday there is a new drama and every day you get to learn something new in your own house. So I have learned a lot from there.

I always say that in my career as an actress, I've always worked with people like David Lynch or Guy Maddin or Peter Weir who are considered not mainstream directors and that could be because they are like my dad. They are pioneers, and pioneers, by definition, invent something new.

I love creating characters that people may or may have not ever seen before. But I enjoy the opportunity to try to make something new, and that's when I really come alive as an actor, so I really enjoyed working on 'Arrow.'

The 'Hercules' role just kind of came to me, but I had a lot of fun trying something new.

I am fortunate that people have given me the opportunity and confidence to go all out and have fun with the characters I play, and try something new each time.

Vadim changed my mind about acting. Vadim was the only man who was certain I had something special to offer.

I will only do a Hollywood film when there is something special offered to me.

The reason why people are huge stars is nothing to do with acting. It's the magic. Charisma is a word that's used too often; it's something special, and it's what makes stars. It's luck, and basically, it's genes.

I'm a firm believer that if you're nervous before you go into a scene, it means the scene is going to be good, and it means you're invested in making something special.

At times, I have had the opportunity to play character roles in movies like 'Kathavasheshan.' Still, I act in all the roles I am offered if it has something special.

I didn't only play Lurch. I also was 'Thing,' the hand that came up and on-camera every now and then. You should try acting with only one hand sometime. Great discipline.

Sometimes you become a character, and sometimes the character becomes you.

I'm half Jewish, but no one believes me because my looks lean a little WASP-y... It's sometimes hard for me to get the roles I'm drawn to.

Emotional scenes can be especially difficult because I'm such a hyper, excited person, so sometimes that can be hard.

Every actor is somewhat mad, or else he'd be a plumber or a bookkeeper or a salesman.

It's not just about learning the dialogue and facing the camera, you must somewhat live the role and not always be acting it.

At one point, I quit acting for a little bit to study psycholinguistics - somewhat a more practical career. It just didn't feel right.