Benjamin Bratt Quotes

I just play him as myself, I don't ease myself into any role really. I stick a beard on and play me.

People assume actors are born liars, but I'd argue the actor's job is to tell the truth. And I've realised I'm not a good liar.

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.

You normally either get bitten by a character and decide that is the way to play it, and then that begins to inform everything you do, or you decide, 'I don't need to use much character in this - I have basically got to be me'.

I never do roles, I play people.

I'm a technician. I don't go for the get-into-the-role stuff. I read the lines and play the scenes.

The worst acting is about imitation.

I had an acting teacher tell me once that if you're playing a car salesman, you don't want to be an OK car salesman, you want to play the best car salesman.

I'm disappointed in acting as a craft. I want everything to go back to Orson Welles and fake noses and changing your voice. It's become so much about personality.

Yeah, I think the common denominator - and this is probably going to sound like Acting 101 - but the common denominator is belief in the character in the moment.

It's true I have a hard time with the notion of creating a character. And I feel it's a limit. I'm always really impressed by actors who are able to construct a character, like Johnny Depp.

You want to try and bring a character to life in an honest a way as you possibly can. It doesn't matter whether he's a doctor, an actor, a car salesman or a captain of a starship. If you can bring truth and honesty to that character, then your audience will believe you.

When you are developing a character you have to bring so much of yourself to the role.

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

That's the thing about acting - you can't fake it.

I know, because I tried all sorts of ways of being in character, and the best way is to be totally straight.

I'm not a big method actor. I'm much more superficial.

There are a lot of actors who will sit here and talk to you about characters - 'He does this, and she's a really interesting character because she does this.' I'm not like that at all. I'm not an actory actor.

'Serious acting' is the kind of acting that I don't ever respond to.

In acting, you have to pull from real-life situations, from people, to help develop a character.

With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it's just not acting. It's lying.

I'm a method actor.

I will never forget the pleasure and instruction I derived from working with a true master of his art, such as Edward G. Robinson was - and is. Surely his record for versatility, studied characterization - ranging from modern colloquial to the classics - and artistic integrity is unsurpassed.

I'm trying to show I'm a trained actress - I can transform myself into different characters. I'm not just an ingenue.

It's a challenge, writing about actors, especially a good actor, because you can't always tell when they're being honest and when they're pretending - that is, when they're acting. The really good ones don't always seem to know themselves.