Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Quotes

I didn't tell any of my friends that I wanted to be a comedian, because I was superstitious. I thought if I told people, it wouldn't happen. So I kept it all in my head for years and years.

My parents didn't want me to be an actor. They didn't think I could take the rejection, and I have to say they were probably right.

Of course when I started, it's not because I was such a brilliant actress. I didn't know I was good. I thought I was really bad. I was very shy. I was 18 and dreaming of becoming an actress.

The truth is, I had always wanted to be a comedian, but I really didn't have that kind of personality, and it's a terrifying thing to say.

No one would touch me with a barge pole as an actress. It hit hard. I thought, 'What am I doing? This is a stupid idea!' It's like throwing yourself into a massive pond, and you feel like you're going to drown so quickly.

I'm scared of rehearsals, I'm scared of doing all this because I don't feel like I'm an actress.

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them. We, their hearts, become fearful just thinking of loved ones who go away forever, or of moments that could have been good but weren’t, or of treasures that might have been found but were forever hidden in the sands. Because, when these things happen, we suffer terribly.

I was a nervous young man. I wanted to do so many things. And I was so enthusiastic and earnestly in love with so many things that I tried too hard. I tried really, really hard. And I made a lot of mistakes. I was afraid of a lot of stuff. And I kind of feel bad for that person I was.

Pretty much every time I try something different or do something in front of a live audience, I truly think they might throw peanuts at me.

I always wanted to be an actor, but I was always fighting it. It never seemed that honorable to me, and I guess I was always afraid that I might fail.

I secretly nurtured the idea of being in show business but was always terrified of it. I had every fear you could possibly imagine associated with performing.

I'm always nervous. A classy comedian is full of self-doubt disguised with an air of false confidence. If there isn't self-doubt, you seem aggressive.

Singing, writing songs, is kind of my biggest fear, but it's the thing I feel I need to conquer.

I used to get nervous just going to the stage door, seeing people waiting to talk to me. I was afraid of being caught out in some way or not being right.

The biggest enemy of any actor is fear.

I never really committed to being an actor. It never felt like it would be possible, I guess.

I don't know, you know, when I look at it now, I don't know what in the world made me think I could become a director. I really don't.

Came to acting pretty late. It looked wonderful, but I guess I was intimidated by my father. I look a bit like him, and he was so much bigger than life and so great, it took me a bit longer than most people to have enough confidence in myself.

It's frightening to be facing an audience. There is always the fear of what they think of you, what they are saying about you.

Onstage was where I felt the most confident and in control and free, and as I've gotten older, it's gotten more and more daunting. And I think that's also part of my desire to keep confronting that and pushing through to find that childlike or youthful ignorance against fear and keep at it.

If I'm not nervous, if I don't have at least a little bit of the same self-doubt and anxious feelings I had when I started playing, then it will be time for me to go on. I must have that tension.

I'm not nearly as brave and confident in some of the ways that I think stand-ups are.

I'd be on stage in Ireland performing for thousands of people and just not believing in what I'm doing at all. And it hurt, it hurt badly. I knew every day that I couldn't continue this way.

For many comedians, two common anxiety triggers include performing in front of family members and doing brand new material.

I feel a bit scared at times as I feel if I am not convinced about the scene, the audiences won't be either, so I have to give my best.