Jonathan Groff Quotes

I think one of the mistakes actors make is we're so focused on what we're going to say.

As an actor, being on autopilot is the worst thing possible.

When you work as an actor, you've got to feel safe even in what appears to be the simplest things.

I took theatre and stuff in college, then I took a bunch of different acting classes here in L.A. Sometimes when I have a hard audition, I'll call my acting coach and he'll come help me. I actually get more nervous in acting class than I do at an actual audition. It's actually a really great way to get over your nerves.

I think when you're acting, you usually don't have to know too much beyond how to pronounce the words you're saying.

As an actor, I trust my ear.

I have this assemblage of small facts, which looks like intelligence but no real depth of knowledge about anything. That's why I'm an actor.

With acting, I always feel conscious of what I'm doing.

Improv definitely made me a better auditioner, without a doubt. We did do an audition semester in grad school, and that was helpful for those times that you have a script and you have a few days to prepare it, to really work on sides. But the auditions I was doing in New York, if you got it the night before, you were very lucky.

As an actor, I've grown considerably. It's taken me years to get comfortable doing a romantic scene and dancing on stage in front of a live audience. I've really opened up a lot.

One was never taught how to begin at drama school. But all it required was one intake of breath.

Any acting job that I ever got, I always treated it like I was a neophyte; I didn't know what I was doing, and I was going to work just as hard as I do on my stand-up.

One of the first lessons you learn as an actor is to listen.

I'd always wanted to be an actress, and suddenly I knew that learning to control my facial muscles was one of the best assets I could have as a performer.

I've never had an acting lesson in my life. I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing.

I'm not a natural-born actor. So it's been a very slow learning curve for me.

It's important for an actor to feel like they're really being watched and to receive feedback and encouragement about the aspects of what they're doing that feels truthful - and also to raise awareness when they might be resorting to habits and tricks, which every actor has.

Confidence is the greatest gift for an actor.

If you've been in drama school for eight years, you've got teachers in your head all the time.

The minute I start to talk about acting, I realize that I can't. You know, it's an abstract thing, a little bit mysterious even if you do it for a living.

I just love acting. Being in theater or being in television or film, I'm really living out my destiny.

Because I came out as a singer, I took the time to get an acting coach.

I am a proud participant of the Spencer Tracy School of Acting: Know your lines, don't bump into the furniture.

Drama school can't make you a brilliant actor, but you can do stuff for three years - you're not going to be fired. You should just go for it all, even the stuff you think is codswallop.

I'm not going to get better as an actor working on bad stuff.