Acting Quotes

Acting is not about being famous, it's about exploring the human soul.

Long experience has taught me that in England nobody goes to the theatre unless he or she has bronchitis.

The more you do your homework, the more you're free to be intuitive. But you've got to put the work in.

Music means freedom to me. But in acting you can pretend to be someone else and I like that.

Coal mining is tough. Acting is just tedious.

But those who wish to prove to unbelievers that Scripture is the Word of God are acting foolishly, for only by faith can this be known.

It's like, to me, acting is like a child walking in the park, the better the actor, the greater the playground he has.

There is more good writing and good acting in any ten minutes of Twister than in, say, all of Citizen Kane.

Man is a make-believe animal: he is never so truly himself as when he is acting a part.

The first step to a better audition is to give up character and use yourself.

I had great difficulty in school interacting with others, and I took refuge in the contrived setting of play acting, which is what I still do.

I once asked Barbara Stanwyck the secret of acting. She said: 'Just be truthful - and if you can fake that, you've got it made'.

Acting is a nice childish profession - pretending you're someone else and, at the same time, selling yourself.

Music is my love and to me acting is more mercenary. I don't pound the pavements for roles: if it happens, it happens. I hate that auditioning thing.

Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.

I went to drama school at NYU for serious acting. So I was doing Chekov and Sam Shepard plays.

The best acting is instinctive. It's not intellectual, it's not mechanical, it's instinctive.

The big secret in acting is listening to people.

I have two acting styles: with and without a horse.

On 'Into The Wild' I spent months risking my life and on 'Speed Racer' I spent 60 days acting in front of a green screen. No danger to my physical self, but I sure had to use my imagination.

Christ does not save us by acting a parable of divine love; he acts the parable of divine love by saving us. That is the Christian faith.

I was changing a light bulb over Groucho Marx's bed, so I took my shoes off, got on his bed and changed the bulb. When I got off the bed he said: 'That's the best acting you've ever done.

From his proceedings in Congress, he appears demented, and his actings and doings inspire my pity more than anger.

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

I'm just starting to scratch the surface of what really makes me happy and it's taken me a while to admit that acting like a little child and being a jerk and a punk is fun.

I remember the mid-50s well. It was when my life changed, and I left acting to become one of the first female television news reporters in the UK.

My advice has always been to study the craft of acting if you want to be an actor. There are many great schools that teach acting. NYU being one of them.

Acting is not that far from mental disease: An actor works on splitting his character into others. It is like a kind of schizophrenia.

You have to do something. If you do something, you become somebody. Even a daffodil does something, has a profession. It gives off scent, professionally.

I'm really very sorry for you all, but it's an unjust world, and virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances.

You must have a twinkle in your eye, a naughtiness - and the audience must realize your mind is working faster than your words.

James Franco, acting, teaching, directing, writing, producing, photography, soundtracks, editing - is there anything you can do?

We had 10 years after the Cold War to build a new world order and yet we squandered them. The United States cannot tolerate anyone acting independently. Every US president has to have a war.

In a close-up, the audience is only inches away, and your face becomes the stage.

When I first broke into the acting industry, I taught spinning classes to support myself.

One of the first things I learned about acting was, the only person you compete against is yourself.

Creating relationship is the heart of acting. It is basic. It is essential.

Conflict is what creates drama. The more conflict actors find, the more interesting the performance.

Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing.

If there wasn't something called acting, they would probably hospitalize people like me.

A good director creates an environment which gives the actor the encouragement to fly.

The entire religion revolves around acknowledging the truth and then acting upon it.

All great art comes from a sense of outrage.

There's nothing more boring than unintelligent actors, because all they have to talk about is themselves and acting. There have to be other things.

Words are a form of action, capable of influencing change.

The further you get away from yourself, the more challenging it is. Not to be in your comfort zone is great fun.

Acting is magical. Change your look and your attitude, and you can be anyone.

There is no safety for honest men, but by believing all possible evil of evil men, and by acting with promptitude, decision, and steadiness on that belief.

Acting is the art of speaking in a loud, clear voice and the avoidance of bumping into the furniture.

Kids are a great excuse for you to stop acting like one.