Joaquin Phoenix Quotes

I don't act in the way other actresses act, in terms of building or creating a character. I don't transform myself into the role, I invest myself in the role.

Unless it's a specific accent, or something about physicality you have to change, I am generally not such a conscious actor.

I never judge the characters I'm asked to play, and I don't need to feel that they are a part of me.

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.

As long as you have the acting chops and the desire to get inside a character, you can play anything.

An actor is an actor is an actor. The less personality an actor has off stage the better. A blank canvas on which to draw the characters he plays.

I am not of the vein of actors - and I will not pretend to be one - that takes my character home with me. I don't.

One of the first things I was taught as an actor was, 'Don't judge the character.'

As an actor, you can't just imitate someone. You have to get under her skin.

For better or worse, I don't necessarily categorize myself as a method actor; I'm not going to make claims that I stayed in character 24/7.

Any decent actor knows you can't judge the character you're playing.

Something they taught us at drama school, and it's taken me a long time to realise it's true through practice, is that you can't put judgments on a character you're playing, especially while you're doing it.

I'm not a Method person, so I'm not like in character all the time.

It is how you approach the role given to you, and how you relate to that character and then how you adapt and gel into that role which makes you a good actor.

I do enter into character on set, but I can step out of it.

I never do roles, I play people.

I appreciate actors who work very hard to get at the truth of the character they're playing. That speaks to me, and I try to protect that process because I value the focus and intention behind it.

My acting style changes according to the way a character is imagined.

I know that my way of tackling a character is very different.

I am not one of those actors who believes he has to live the part he is playing. I can turn it on and off.

I love acting... I really do. I love crawling into another character's skin. That's something that I've always, always, always, always wanted.

All my characters are me. I'm not a good enough actor to become a character. I hear about actors who become the role and I think 'I wonder what that feels like.' Because for me, they're all me.

I wouldn't say I'm a method actor. I do research when I feel I don't have enough experience for the part I'm playing.

I still think of myself as a stage actor. When I do film and television I try to implement what I was taught to do in theatre, to try to stretch into characters that are far from myself.

I'm not a method actor; I hope you know that!