Home / Topics / Acting Quotes

Acting Quotes

Browse 6890 quotes about Acting.

Acting Quotes

“I realized that after finding this thing that allowed me to express myself - acting - and being encouraged by a few people that I could do it, I had kind of grabbed onto it and dug in my claws in a way that was maybe a bit unhealthy. I allowed myself to get into a headspace where I lived or died by what I achieved in this particular field.”

People Way Kind Bits Acting Fields Particular Findings Died I Realized Unhealthy Claws

Author:Andrew Garfield

“The fact that I got into acting at all was kind of fluke-ish. I loved movies, but I can't remember ever really wanting to be an actress, and I certainly didn't imagine ever being in a movie. I think I wanted to be a writer.”

Thinking Kind I Can Facts Wanted Remember Acting Imagine Actresses Flukes

Author:Winona Ryder

“I was never strategic really, but back when I was starting out no one cared. In the acting community, box office didn't matter. I really think it was a mistake when they started paying people like $20 million to do a movie because now it's all people think about. Is she worth it? Is he worth it?”

People Thinking Matter Community Acting Mistake Millions Office Starting Boxes Worth It Strategic Back When Box Office Starting Out No One Cares

Author:Winona Ryder

“Most actors don't know what they're going to do next, so you get into this thing where you have to force yourself to have another life outside of acting. And then, as soon as you start something in this sort of normal life that you're trying to live, you get a job. So you have this constant struggle because you want to be able to commit to things and to finish things in your life, but then you also want to be able to act.”

Knows Want Trying Able Jobs Next Actors Force Acting Struggle Normal Constant Commit Normal Life Another Life Constant Struggle

Author:Winona Ryder

“The terrible thing about acting is the stops and starts.”

Acting Terrible Terrible Things

Author:Anjelica Huston

“People say, "Why is it that you love to act?" And you want to say, "Well, most of acting is sitting in your trailer, either bored or worried about the scene coming up." A lot of it is about things you don't really like, so it's a wonder why acting is such a huge draw, why everyone loves it so much.”

People Want Wells Acting Wonder Huge Scene Draws Sitting Worried Bored One Love Trailers

Author:Anjelica Huston

“I was in acting classes from the age of 9, dance classes, music classes - my mom put a lot of energy and attention into me, so no matter what happened in my life, I always had this basis of discipline. So I really worked hard for everything I had from a very early age.”

Matter Hard Age Energy Acting Attention Class Happened Mom Discipline Bases No Matter What My Mom Acting Classes Dance Class

Author:Milla Jovovich

“My parents’ biggest thing was that they just wanted me to graduate high school and go to college. They couldn’t fathom me acting for the rest of my life.”

Wanted School Parent Acting College High School Graduates Fathom

Author:Mila Kunis

“When you do a four-camera sitcom, everything is a little schtickier. It’s not necessarily that you pick up bad habits, but there is just a very specific way of acting that you fall into on those kinds of multicamera shows, and you have to break those habits when you go in to do other things.”

Way Kind Littles Shows Fall Acting Break Four Habit Picks Cameras Sitcom Bad Habits

Author:Mila Kunis

“I had gotten injured during the boxing, and I was supposed to take several months off because I'd had a couple of concussions, and so I sort of just left the boxing and got into the acting by accident.”

Left Acting Months Couple Accidents Boxing Injured Concussions

Author:Mickey Rourke

“It can be a miserable profession, acting, because you always want what you can’t have.”

Want Acting Profession Miserable

Author:Eddie Redmayne

“I mean I don't think it got me interested in acting. I think it might be what makes it so that I can have the idea of the variety of people in the world, different incomes. That helps. When you're going to play someone it's interesting and nice to see experiences that aren't like yours. But there's always the remarkable similarity of all people.”

People Thinking World Mean I Can Ideas Different Play Helping Might Interesting Acting Nice Like You Income Variety Remarkable Similarity

Author:Peter Sarsgaard

“I couldn't direct traffic. It's hard enough just acting.”

Hard Enough Acting Direct Traffic

Author:Mickey Rourke

“I went to comprehensive school in North London and left without any qualifications [diploma]. And I was doing bits of acting and improv in a drama club in the evenings. Then I discovered you didn't need qualifications to go to art school, you just needed a body of work.”

Needs Art Body School Left Bits Acting Needed Drama Clubs London Evening Comprehensive Qualifications Art School Diploma Drama Club

Author:Joe Wright

“I knew, starting in 10th grade, I wanted to be in theater and an actor. I went to acting school in Siberia, but there was no future there - and I was consumed with ambition.”

Wanted School Actors Acting Ambition Theater Starting Grades Consumed Siberia

Author:Andrey Zvyagintsev

“I don't think the concept of "directing actors" exists in the sense that if you get what you order from an actor you'll always get bad acting. Every actor is scared just like a regular person.”

Ifs Thinking Persons Order Actors Acting Concepts Scared Bad Acting Directing Actors

Author:Pirjo Honkasalo

“That to me is what my idea of film acting should be. There shouldn't be any acting. You should just be watching a real person.”

Should Persons Ideas Real Film Acting Real Person Film Acting

Author:Michael Caine

“I had a pretty poor self-image for a long time. I broke into acting as a model in New York. I was never anything like a "supermodel," but I made a living at it for a couple years. The thing was, I was convinced that I was tricking everyone into thinking I was attractive.”

Thinking Years Long Made Self Poor Acting New York Couple Long Time Models Convinced Broke Attractive Supermodel Poor Self Image

Author:Geena Davis

“I'm 35 but because I've been acting professionally playing women since I was eighteen years old - I never played a teenager - people constantly think I'm like ten years older than I am, which is a little hard on my ego.”

People Thinking Years Littles Hard Acting Ten Ego Teenager Eighteen Eighteen Years Old

Author:Laura Benanti

“I think in this business [acting] there's the option to do a lot of things and say, "I don't care. I'm just going to do what I want," but what I do affects a lot of people.”

People Thinking Want Care Acting Don't Care I Don't Care

Author:Kelli O'Hara

“I'm not a victim. And the people who are victims of something, my heart is completely with them. But I'm not. I know I've been treated like a woman in this business [acting]. I mean I've got lots of stories, but they don't have any control over me.”

People Knows Heart Mean Stories Acting My Heart Victim Treated

Author:Kelli O'Hara

“A lot of what is famous about film making are the movie stars and what is considered a movie star is a lot of great acting, but also a lot of physical beauty.”

Film Stars Acting Movie Star Physical Beauty

Author:Kelli O'Hara

“I've always thought that when anyone receives an award for acting they should always thank their fellow actors, because the only way you're going to deliver your best performance is when you have other good actors on the set supporting you and being very present for you even when the camera is not on them.”

Way Should Actors Acting Performances Cameras Fellows Awards Good Actors Best Performance

Author:Halle Berry

“When I was about 16 or 17, I had a teacher who took a group of us to the National Theater in Washington, D.C., and I saw Ian McKellen do his one-man show - I think it was called Acting Shakespeare - and it completely bombed me; it put the zap on my brain in a big way.”

Thinking Men Way Shows Bigs Acting Brain Saws Teacher Groups Theater One Man

Author:Edward Norton

“When I'm in the studio, I write the music, I play the different instruments, I produce it, I arrange it, and it's a self-indulgent exercise. It's the way I make my music. And when I'm acting, I get to leave myself behind, which is a relief. I get to collaborate with a director; I respect the director's medium and all the actors and actresses. So at the end of the day, it's about a character and it's about a director's vision. It's a really good balance for being so intense and alone in my personal process of making music.”

“I was an actor when I was a teenager and it could have been the direction that I headed in. But music and my relationship with music is quite deep, and it really is the nucleus of my creativity. So I gave up acting so I could pursue music fully, and I never thought about really going back. And then [director] Lee Daniels met me and wanted to work with me, and that's how it started.”

Has Beens Wanted Actors Acting Creativity Mets Directors Music Is Pursue Teenager Could Have Been Gave Up Nucleus

Author:Lenny Kravitz

“An engineer can look at the data, but he needs a translator from the cockpit - the driver - to understand it completely. For example, only the driver can tell you why he abruptly takes his foot off the gas pedal at a certain point. The data doesn't necessarily tell the engineer whether the driver made a mistake at that point or the car was acting up. The information the driver provides often helps determine the direction of development.”

Needs Looks Made Helping Certain Acting Mistake Feet Car Information Example Development Determine Data Gas Drivers Engineers Made A Mistake Translators Pedals Cockpit

Author:Michael Schumacher

“As much as there are intellectual choices to be made and all the rest of it, a great actor has the ability really, to disappear and lose themself in a kind of mystical fashion. My appreciation and fascination with true acting is really all over the book, definitely.”

Kind Made Book Choices Actors Loses Ability Acting Fashion Intellectual Appreciation Disappear Mystical Fascination Great Actors

Author:Rebecca Miller

“I'm not really against a lot of things unless they are just pure exploitation and then they create their own copycat culture that comes from someone acting irresponsibly. That's dangerous when that happens.”

Happens Culture Acting Dangerous Pure Exploitation Copycats

Author:John Leguizamo

“I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.”

Should Said Funny Actors Acting Treated Sarcastic Cattle Best Acting Theatre Actors Actors And Acting Acting From Actors

Author:Alfred Hitchcock

“Acting is never really effortless, at least not for me. It requires a massive amount of work. But, there's definitely an added level of having to just create the whole thing again, every time. It's also a very exciting thing, to do that.”

Whole Levels Acting Amount Exciting Things To Do Massive Effortless Exciting Things

Author:Charlie Hunnam

“I keep my kids out of the whole business entirely. Allegra and Lucas are five and six and I'm not interested in them doing any acting at all. I don't want my kids in show business. I keep them as far away from my work as possible.”

Want Whole Shows Kids Acting Five Six Far Away Not Interested Show Business

Author:John Leguizamo

“It's been great, I have to dig deep for really raw emotions and at the same time I have to use my intellect to say the ridiculous medical jargon while acting and treating a patient and then I have to try to have a personality and emotions as well. So it is definitely hard work.”

Trying Wells Hard Use Acting Emotion Hard Work Personality Patient Intellect Medical Ridiculous Dig Deep Jargon Raw Emotion

Author:John Leguizamo

“Well I was about to be expelled from school, I had been arrested and a teacher said: "Why don't you try acting, instead of distracting the class? Why don't you use your comic talent for something more productive?" My maths teacher suggested I do comedy and I decided to have a go. I pursued it after that. I was about 17.”

Trying Wells Said Use School Acting Class Comedy Teacher Talent Decided Math Comic Productive Pursued Arrested Math Teacher

Author:John Leguizamo

“Yes it did really. It was very exciting to find that my energy could be directed into something more useful and positive. I was starting to get panicked. I was thinking 'what am I going to do with my life?' I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Then I became crazily obsessed with acting. I suddenly had a work ethic and then everything changed completely for the better because I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”

Thinking Happens Wanted Energy Acting Changed Ethics Exciting Starting Obsessed Work Ethic

Author:John Leguizamo

“Usually, those people don't even like actors and they can't wait until they get in the cutting room. They kind of break down in categories: directors who like to be surprised and some of them abhor being surprised. As far as directing, we all direct when we're acting in movies... every single one of us.”

People Kind Actors Waiting Rooms Acting Break Cutting Directors Direct Categories Breaking Down Acting In Movies

Author:Dustin Hoffman

“We're not allowed in the cutting room - and that's extraordinary. So, when a director is asking for certain nuances and colours and we feel that they're phoney, but we do it because the director asks for it, that's the one that they pick in the cutting room. And I contend that when you see a movie with bad acting, don't blame the actor... blame those guys in the cutting room because they like that take.”

Feels Guy Certain Actors Asks Rooms Acting Cutting Directors Picks Asking Blame Extraordinary Colour Nuance Bad Acting

Author:Dustin Hoffman

“I make preparations both to live and to die every day, but with the emphasis on not dying, and on acting as if I was going to carry on living.”

Ifs Dies Acting Dying Preparation Emphasis Acting As If

Author:Christopher Hitchens

“There is a metaphysical honour in ending the world's absurdity. Conquest or play-acting, multiple loves, absurd revolt are tributes that man pays to his dignity in a campaign in which he is defeated in advance.... War cannot be negated. One must live it or die of it. So it is with the absurd: it is a question of breathing with it, of recognizing its lessons and recovering their flesh. In this regard the absurd joy par excellence is creation. "Art and nothing but art", said Nietzsche, "we have art in order not to die of the truth."”

“Do not say to yourself, 'I am going to act this way tomorrow.' Just say to yourself - 'I am going to imagine myself acting this way NOW - for 30 minutes - today.'”

Way Today Acting Imagine Minutes Tomorrow

Book:Psycho-Cybernetics A New Technique for Using Your Subconscious Power

Source: Psycho-Cybernetics A New Technique for Using Your Subconscious Power

“Visualizing, creative mental picturing, is no more difficult than what you do when you remember some scene out of the past, or worry about the future. Acting out new action patterns is no more difficult than deciding, then following through on tying your shoes in a new and different manner each morning, instead of continuing to tie them in your old habitual way, without thought or decision.”

Source: Psycho-Cybernetics Deluxe Edition: The Original Text of the Classic Guide to a New Life

“In a symbol there is concealment and yet revelation: here therefore, by Silence and by Speech acting together, comes a double significance.”

Together Acting Silence Speech Symbols Revelations Significance Concealment Acting Together

Book:Carlyle Reader

Source: Carlyle Reader

“Human beings are, necessarily, actors who...can be divided...into the sane who know they are acting and the mad who do not.”

Knows Humans Actors Human Beings Acting Mad Divided Sane

Author:W. H. Auden

“Acting is so much fun. It is a different ball game and I want to concentrate on that at the moment. I'm really passionate about what I do. I love entertainment and telling stories to people and I am very lucky that I am doing what I want to do.”

People Want Different Moments Stories Games Fun Acting Lucky Balls Passionate Entertainment Telling Stories Ball Games

Author:Britney Spears

“When a bishop at the first shot abandons the worship of Christ and rallies his flock round the altar of Mars, he may be acting patriotically... but that does not justify him in pretending...that Christ is, in effect, Mars.”

Firsts May Doe Christ Acting Effects Worship Shots Rounds Justify Abandon Pretending Mars Altars Bishops Flocks

Book:The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Lectures, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

Source: The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Lectures, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

“The sweetest part is acting after making a decision.”

Decision Acting Sweetest

Author:Emily Saliers

“The traveler may feel assured, he will meet with no difficulties or dangers, excepting in rare cases, nearly so bad as he beforehand anticipates. In a moral point of view, the effect ought to be, to teach him good-humored patience, freedom from selfishness, the habit of acting for himself, and of making the best of every occurrence.”

Feels May Views Acting Moral Teach Cases Effects Danger Ought Habit Difficulty Point Of View Selfishness Traveler Assured Anticipate

Author:Charles Darwin

“Faith is acting in the face of contrary evidence. The senses declare, "It cannot be," but Faith shouts above the turmoil, "It is!"”

Faces Acting Evidence Contrary Senses Turmoil

Book:His Word Is Now

Source: His Word Is Now

“To seek out the best [persons to serve in the government] though the whole Union, we must resort to the information which from the best of men, acting disinterestedly and with ther purest motives, is something incorrect....No duty the Executive had to perform was so trying as to put the right man in the right place.”

Men Trying Persons Whole Government Acting Information Duty Unions Motive Executives Resorts Right Place Best Person Best Of Me Right Man

Author:Thomas Jefferson

“In order to be kind, one must do. There is no point in thinking good thoughts and not acting on them. There is no currency in wishing things were better but not rolling up one's sleeves and helping to change them.”

Thinking Kind Helping Order Wish Acting Be Kind Currency Rolling No Point Sleeves Good Thoughts Rolling Up Thinking Good

Book:The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights: Simple Acts of Kindness to Help Animals in Trouble

Source: The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights: Simple Acts of Kindness to Help Animals in Trouble