Shirley Temple Quotes

You can see all sorts of things in film acting if you know where to look and what to look for. One thing I often notice is that the actor is looking for his mark, the place where he has to stand to be in the right place in the shot.

Basically, the actor's job is to pay attention to the script.

In theater, you get to rehearse several weeks, you memorize everything, and by the time you open, you know what the play is. In film, it's almost the opposite. You do your work on your own and maybe have a couple of minutes to rehearse. When the camera rolls, you generally don't know what's going to happen.

Any actor working a long time should know how a shot is set up, where to place themselves, how to handle the lines. I'm a member of the crew, like the best boy, the electrician. What I'm good at is making eyes at the camera.

As an actor, my job is to go to the set, read my scene and perform to the best of my abilities.

Acting is completely different from the standup world. You have these 12- or 14-hour days, but you have a great time doing it. It's like hanging out with your friends.

Acting isn't really a creative profession. It's an interpretative one.

I have theatre-training, I love doing theatre, I've done Broadway.

When I was doing 'All in the Family,' half the time, I was looking at where the cameras were, where were the other actors in the scene, what the audience was doing.

I used to joke I was a point-and-click actor. My whole process has been about trusting your instincts and hitting your mark.

Having done a lot of theater, I'm used to sustaining characters over long periods of time.

There's nowhere to hide in the theatre. You can't be the one in rehearsal who doesn't know their lines.

Stage is definitely my home first and foremost - I still feel like I'm yet to earn my stripes on set.

Layers are not difficult for me. You have the luxury of takes, so if you feel like, say, you did not take in the fact that your aunt is across the way in one take, you do it again and try to add that piece.

As for acting, I took drama lessons when I was in high school.

Acting is always a challenge.

I love working with actors. That's what the set really is, for me. It's my time with the actors.

The process of doing plays will make you an actor.

I love to act. And oh-so-love telling stories through film as an actor. Even on my 'days off.'

I have to say my background was mostly theatre, which I love, and it took a long time to feel comfortable there. That's probably true of anyone's career.

On my first TV job I didn't have a clue. They'd tell me to hit my mark and I had no idea what they meant. You just pick it up. And ultimately, all it's really about is pretending to be someone else.

I'm not a big fan of table reads or sitting around a table and reading a script. I'd rather do it on set and do it for real.

Britain produces great actors because they learn on stage so know their stuff when they get on a movie set.

Acting is something I did when I was a kid. I do act sometimes in friends' projects, but when I do, it's just for fun. It is actually a hobby for me now. I do still love stage acting, but the day-to-day process of being an actor is so exhausting and so taxing.

I select good scripts, and every role is an opportunity to enhance my histrionic skills.