“I'll tell you this: you cannot escape the impact of emotion, whether it's in a big theater or a tiny one. If you have it, it inflates you — correction, 'inflates' is not a good word. If you have it, it infects you and the audience. If you don't have it — don't bother; just say the lines as truthfully as you are capable of doing. You can't fake emotion. It immediately exposes the fact that you ain't got it.”
Quote by Sanford Meisner
Author
Sanford Meisner
Sanford Meisner (August 31, 1905 – February 2, 1997) was an American actor and drama educator, best known for developing the Meisner Acting Technique. He was a key figure in the American Method acting movement, alongside Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler. Meisner emphasized spontaneous, truthful reactions in performance, using exercises like the 'repetition exercise' to train actors to respond authentically in the moment. He taught for decades at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, influencing generations of actors, including Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and Gregory Peck. His approach remains a cornerstone of modern acting education worldwide. more