Kenny Leon Quotes

I'm a director's actor; I'm a storyteller's actor.

I do not use any set methods, not even The Method. The character after all is in the lines.

I'm really a director's actor. I rely heavily on a director.

Each actor, every single time you work with an actor, you have to come up with the language that's going to serve them. And that's what allows them to give the performance that you want to nurture inside of them and what you think they're capable of giving.

When I find those actors who are going to work that hard and collaborate that deeply, my role is to make sure there's a whole lot there for them to work with.

In choosing any role, I ask the same questions: what kind of part is it? is the role challenging? does the director have a vision? is the story moving? etc.

I'm very old-school. I like a director to direct me. I like to be the actor.

I don't really prepare for each role the same way.

I demanded two weeks of rehearsal because to me as an actor, that's the most important time.

The least amount of info actors get, the better. Actors are always like, 'What is my motivation for this?' You didn't write it. Just say the lines.

I don't personally look to my own life experiences for answers about how to play a scene.

As actors, we often look for the scene, big moments that say, 'This is why you have to do this role.'

It is always a pleasure to be directed by an actor because they know the scene from the actor's perspective, too. That's an advantage.

I learn the techniques and then take what I need. I have the Essie Davis technique of acting. I'm an instinctive actress.

I am a director's actress in general - I depend a lot on them.

When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.

You make a decision whether you just work on the script and believe in every moment and pick out every moment, or if you sit down and memorize lines. Once you really dig into a script, learning lines becomes almost second nature.

I never do any research for my roles.

I have realised I am a director's actor.

As an actor, you create a character from your understanding of what you have heard and your observations. Eventually, every film is an extension of the images that I have seen or what I have heard or read somewhere.

I have only recently got interested in film, and it is a strange way of working in many ways. But actually, when it is at its best, it's quite an extraordinary way of working between a director and an actor, to really explore an inner life.

My preparation is mainly just knowing the lines and getting in and knowing where your character is, knowing what it's about and having ideas that you can put in on the day.

I don't really prepare for roles. I just kind of do them!

Film acting is really the trick of doing moments. You rarely do a take that lasts more than 20 seconds. You really earn your spurs acting onstage. I needed to do that for myself. I would hate to say at the end of everything that I never did a stage play.

As an actor, I like as much time with the material as possible and given the opportunity, time spent with the other actors in the scene. But that is a rare luxury in working in any TV series.