Anna Deavere Smith Quotes

It's what still excites me most about acting: letting your imagination go places it's never been before. There's nothing better than that.

Before 'The Walking Dead,' a few of the jobs before that were just like, 'Ugh.' I try and make everything as creative as possible, even when I get the script and can't imagine what I'm going to do with it.

It's a very different thing when you're creating the world as opposed to when you're just part of the world. I love the detail of it, the problem-solving of it, and I love working with actors.

There's a positive side to film and television, the sense of feeding into the theater... Your fans will follow you, hopefully, and be open-minded to see you play other things and experience other stories you want to tell.

I think as a filmmaker and as a director, you shortchange yourself if you inhibit the ability of your actor to bring their own personal experiences to the characters.

I'm trying to do the kind of projects that I want to see in the theatre.

One of the nice things about acting is that it allows you to open up to the other people within you.

The essence of a role-playing game is that it is a group, cooperative experience.

As an actor, our very palette is one of imagination. So it is a walk onto an empty space and then imagine the world beyond it is what we do.

I think theater is a core need of a community.

Artistic ambition is important. And it seems it would be a great time to do some theatre, like a new extreme.

I really believe that a writer is someone who has trained their mind to misbehave.

Characters don't belong to anyone, not even the person who plays them.

I love being creative. I love acting, but I also love directing because you get to have a vision for the whole and bring that vision to fruition.

The whole thing about acting, the draw for me, is the opportunity to do things you don't get to do in real life.

Acting is an imaginative leap, really, isn't it? And imaginations prosper in different circumstances.

I'm someone who loves to play. I make films so I can have fun with the characters.

I like to jot down ideas on the back of envelopes and to recognise the potential value in small things. I also like the freedom to think without feeling compelled to write too early. Stories are often better if we can hold back and get to know the characters and the sounds of language.

That by listening to some music, by reading some books, by looking at paintings, and most important by hanging out with one another - by collaborating with one another and creating your own network - you can achieve something that is much better than what is out there.

I mean, I don't know anything else that I would try to do, but it's a very frustrating thing to do, because you are trying to take what's a fantasy in your head and make it live through the minds of 200 people.

Doing animation is closer to pretending than anything else you get to do. It's much more like when you're a kid putting on a character.

The magic doesn't come from within the director's mind, it comes from within the hearts of the actors.

The thing I love about acting is that it's got nothing to do with me; it's about bringing forth a director's vision. It's like a release. I'm glad it's come back into my life.

George has only got to ring me. His imagination is so wonderful, I'd do any character he might create.

I love acting because you don't have to do the same thing over and over again, every day, and that's what attracted me to wanting to do this for a living. So to be given an opportunity to create something completely different and live that out is the dream. It's incredibly rewarding.