“I have to say I enjoy physical comedy and I've always loved to kind of take risks. I don't like worrying too much about how I look or how I come across, so that can sometimes... You know, I like to play those kinds of deluded but fun characters.” KnowsLooksKindSometimesPlayCharacterFunEnjoyWorryComedyToo MuchRiskDeludedPhysical ComedyWorrying Too Much Author:Amy Poehler
“You have to get it in your brain that you don't belong to yourself as an actor, but that you belong to the director who creates the character.” CharacterActorsBrainDirectors Author:Anne Parillaud
“At the beginning of 'The Hills,' I couldn't watch myself because I'm very critical and would pick myself to pieces. But with movies I feel like it's different because you're playing a character. So it's like watching yourself but not watching yourself.” FeelsDifferentCharacterWatchesPiecesPicksCriticalHills Author:Audrina Patridge
“In New York, I much prefer playing older because as characters get older, they get more interesting.” CharacterInterestingNew York Author:Danny Pintauro
“Filmmaking is always sort of building a mosaic of this arc of what the character is going through.” CharacterActorsBuildingMovieFilmmakingArcsMosaics Author:Matthew Fox
“New York is a character, all on its own, and whenever you film there, it becomes part of the show. That's just the nature of being there.” CharacterShowsFilmNew YorkBeing There Author:Hunter Parrish
“My choices in projects have all been character or role-based, and on a financial level, it's obvious: as an actor on a TV series, I get a wonderful paycheck, and a consistent paycheck, which doesn't always happen when you're doing theater or movies.” CharacterHappensChoicesActorsLevelsRolesWonderfulTvsProjectsTheaterSeriesFinancialObviousConsistentPaychecksTv Series Author:Jim Parsons
“On 'Swingtown,' I think that's when I was able to blend the character-slash-leading lady roles, and that's what I'm doing on 'Once Upon a Time' as well. She's a leading lady, but she's also this character.” ThinkingWellsCharacterAbleRolesOnce Upon A TimeLeading Ladies Author:Lana Parrilla
“I locate that special problem in a character and then try to understand it. That's the genesis of all my work.” TryingCharacterProblemLiteratureSpecialGenesis Author:Manuel Puig
“I want to be true to the character and maintain some consistency and give the audience what they love while at the same time keeping things fresh and grow the character.” WantGivingCharacterGrowsAudienceBeing TrueConsistencyTime Keeping Author:Martha Plimpton
“I don't really ever think about whether or not I like the characters I'm playing. I'm more into the minutiae of their behaviour or what they're doing in a certain scene.” ThinkingCharacterCertainSceneBehaviourMinutiae Author:Mary-Louise Parker
“I'm probably an actor that tends to, instead of putting things on, think about it more in terms of taking away what's not in the character, until I'm left with what is. If that makes sense. That's probably a particularly American way of working, but maybe not. The end of any movie is a readjustment.” IfsThinkingWayEndsCharacterActorsLeftTermMake Sense Author:Molly Parker
“I always tell myself that when you're playing a character, pretend they're on trial and you're giving the best witness of their life. You really need to think about every element of the character and represent them properly, as if they were a real person. You want to give 100 percent of what they're worth and what they deserve as people.” PeopleIfsThinkingWantNeedsGivingPersonsRealCharacterElementsPercentDeserveTrialsWitnessReal PersonGive 100 Percent Author:Pauley Perrette
“The student develops an analytical as well as finely blended character. He is able to choose from a wide variety of job fields from which to embrace a career, without having to be a specialist in one particular discipline.” WellsCharacterAbleJobsCareersFieldsStudentsParticularDisciplineEmbraceWideVarietySpecialists Author:Philippe Perrin
“The job of an actor is the same in all of them, really. I mean, you're just creating a character that you hope people will believe, so it doesn't make that much of a difference really.” PeopleBelieveMeanCharacterJobsActorsDifferencesCreating Author:Rosamund Pike
“If I don't have a project going, I sit down and begin to write something - a character sketch, a monologue, a description of some sight, or even just a list of ideas.” IfsWritingIdeasCharacterProjectsSightDown AndListsDescriptionMonologues Author:Thomas Perry
“Once you have invented a character with three dimensions and a voice, you begin to realize that some of the things you'd like him to do to further your plot are things that such a person wouldn't, or couldn't, do.” PersonsCharacterThreeVoiceRealizingDimensionsPlotThree Dimensions Author:Thomas Perry
“The characters you refer to as predatory and unsavory are useful. They're the ones who make a novel into a thriller. They're active, and most of the common virtues, the signs of a good person, are not.” WritingPersonsCharacterCommonNovelVirtueActiveGood PersonThrillersPredatory Author:Thomas Perry
“What I look for in any character, good or bad, is whether I can hear him speak. If I can imagine him that clearly, then I can write about him.” IfsWritingLooksI CanCharacterSpeakImagine Author:Thomas Perry
“I don't really distinguish between sympathy and honesty when I'm writing. The two go together - I'm interested in inhabiting my characters, seeing the world through their eyes.” WorldWritingTwoCharacterEyeTogetherSeeingHonestySympathySeeing The World Author:Tom Perrotta
“I can't play anything until I find something that connects to my life, something I can carry as my secret map or code for the character.” I CanPlayCharacterSecretCodeMaps Author:Will Patton
“The horses are all characters, all personalities. Some you get along with, some you don't, some might take a bit longer.” CharacterMightBitsPersonalityHorse Author:Zara Phillips
“My thing about looking good is that it should be the character. If I'm playing a character who's concerned about his body - an athlete, say - I'll get in shape. If I'm playing a character who doesn't or wouldn't, I don't. I almost never get in shape for a movie, even though I know it would be a good career move.” IfsKnowsShouldCharacterBodyWould BeMovingCareersShapesConcernedAthleteLooking GoodGetting In Shape Author:Aidan Quinn
“It’s sad that women characters have lost so much ground in popular movies. Didn’t Thelma and Louise prove that women want to see women doing things on film? Thelma and Louise were in a classic car; they were being chased by cops; they shot up a truck - and women loved it.” WantCharacterFilmLostCarProveShotsClassicCopTruckWomen WantPopular MovieThelma And Louise Author:Robin Quivers
“One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered.” LifeMayCharacterWisdomMotivationalSuccessTakenHonorDignityAbuseBullyingBullyStay StrongBulliedPersonal DignityBeing BulliedBullying InspirationalCyber BullyingInspirational Bullying Author:Michael J. Fox
“As an actor, I think it's always important to separate yourself from your characters because, when you include yourself in a character, you're taking a liberty that you don't really have unless you're life is that incredibly close to the character.” ThinkingImportantCharacterLife IsActorsLiberty Author:Ashley Rickards
“I'm sort of a reverse Method actor. In my personal life, I become my characters. After 'One Tree Hill', I started dressing in Converse and ripped jeans and hoodies. On 'Awkward', it manifests in how I speak.” CharacterActorsSpeakTreeMethodHillsAwkwardReversePersonal LifeJeansDressingsRippedConversesTree HillHoodiesRipped Jeans Author:Ashley Rickards
“The most difficult part of any crime novel is the plotting. It all begins simply enough, but soon you're dealing with a multitude of linked characters, strands, themes and red herrings - and you need to try to control these unruly elements and weave them into a pattern.” NeedsTryingEnoughCharacterDifficultNovelCrimeElementsRedPatternsThemeMultitudesLinkedStrandsUnrulyHerringCrime NovelsRed Herrings Author:Ian Rankin
“I'm not writing great literature. I'm writing commercial fiction for people to enjoy the stories and to like the characters.” PeopleWritingCharacterStoriesLiteratureEnjoyFictionGreat Literature Author:Kathy Reichs
“You'd be naive if you think you are going to retain any control once you option a character to TV.” IfsThinkingCharacterTvsNaive Author:Kathy Reichs
“As an actor, you always want to keep it different, change it up, and, you know, just to keep yourself inspired and work with interesting characters.” KnowsWantDifferentCharacterActorsInterestingInspiredInteresting Characters Author:Kelly Reilly
“The movies that work are the ones in which somebody very smart figured out how to take all the thematic material, all the character material, all the filigree, all the beautiful writing, and put it into a story.” WritingCharacterStoriesBeautifulMaterialsSmartVery SmartBeautiful WritingThematic Author:Scott Rudin
“I feel like a good director provokes you to ask questions about your character, but doesn't answer them for you.” FeelsCharacterAsksAnswersDirectorsProvokingGood Directors Author:Crystal Reed
“The 'Rescue Me' gig was a unique opportunity to play a character - a misanthropic, angry guy - who was so contrary to how people think of me.” PeopleThinkingPlayCharacterGuyOpportunityUniqueAngryContraryRescueGigsThink Of MeMisanthropicUnique OpportunitiesRescue Me Author:Michael J. Fox
“I think part of the fun of being an actor is getting to work with different directors and seeing their take on it, what they're passionate about. They all have different ideas about your character.” ThinkingIdeasDifferentCharacterActorsFunSeeingDirectorsPassionateDifferent Ideas Author:Elizabeth Reaser
“Away with that folly that her rights would be detrimental to her character - that if she were recognized as the equal to a man she would cease to be a woman!” IfsMenCharacterWould BeRightsEqualCeaseFollyDetrimental Author:Ernestine Rose
“If I had to choose criteria, for me, it's about first the director. I want to be a part of something that's good and intellectually challenging. After the director it's the character and the story. That's the deal for me.” IfsWantFirstsCharacterStoriesChallengesDealsDirectorsCriteria Author:Giovanni Ribisi
“I think about everything first. I think about the scenario: the story and the characters, what I'm trying to say and I'll think about that for a couple of days until it's all locked in and then when I get to an instrument it'll just fall out. But the song's kind of all ready there in my head.” ThinkingTryingFirstsKindCharacterStoriesSongFallReadyCoupleInstrumentsLockedScenarios Author:Graham Russell
“I need to react to a script, to feel strongly about it in some way. And I need it to be a complex character for sure. And also, I think a lot about what kind of audience there is for the film, what they're looking for and ways to connect with them in the playing of a character.” ThinkingWayNeedsFeelsKindCharacterFilmAudienceComplexesScriptsComplex Characters Author:Jeremy Renner
“I like to play unpredictable characters, and I like to be unpredictable in what movie I'll do.” PlayCharacterUnpredictable Author:Jeremy Renner
“So I never spend a lot of time analyzing why people respond to my work. But I think that it's just the joy, a passion for life, that I think has always been in my characters. Beyond that, I'm just grateful for it.” PeopleThinkingCharacterJoyPassionGratefulAnalyzingPassion For Life Author:Michael J. Fox
“It's funny, because in drama school, my greatest strength was my range. So my early career was like that: I played all kinds of different characters.” KindDifferentCharacterSchoolCareersDramaAll KindsRangeDifferent Characters Author:Lance Reddick
“As I got further into my career, as a character of color, if I was going to have the types of opportunities I felt I deserved, and continue to have them, I was going to have to start creating those opportunities for myself.” IfsCharacterOpportunityFeltCareersColorTypeCreating Author:Lance Reddick
“I love Charlie, Billy Burke's character. Writing for him is so spectacular, he's so funny and wry and every scene he's in he just takes. There's a scene in 'Eclipse' where Bella tells him she's a virgin, and it's the funniest, most awkward scene I've ever seen on film.” WritingCharacterFilmSceneAwkwardVirginsSpectacularCharlieEclipseWry Author:Melissa Rosenberg
“When you're playing a character in a book, there's already a lot of pressure because all of the millions of people who have read the series have been able to envision and become very attached to the characters.” PeopleHas BeensBookCharacterAbleMillionsPressureSeries Author:Nikki Reed
“One of my goals is to allow readers to see my characters and the world they inhabit as vividly as possible.” WorldCharacterGoalReader Author:Ron Rash
“I think that's what I love about writing, is the ability to try to, in a sense, take a vacation from yourself and try to enter the sensibility of another time, another character, another place.” ThinkingWritingTryingCharacterAbilityVacationSensibilityAnother Time Author:Ron Rash
“On the last drafts, I focus on the words themselves, including the rub of vowels and consonants, stressed and unstressed syllables. Yet even at this stage I'm often surprised. A different ending or a new character shows up and I'm back to where I began, letting the story happen, just trying to stay out of the way.” WayTryingDifferentCharacterStoriesShowsHappensLastsFocusStageIncludingStressedSyllablesI'm BackVowelsConsonants Author:Ron Rash