Michael Shannon Quotes

I've trained primarily in Meisner Technique, and I've done a little bit of Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade just to get my feet wet in the improv world because I think that's really important. But most of the teachers I've worked with, I've gotten, like, references through agents or managers, and they're sort of independent.

There's no doubt that I owe a lot to my training of stage acting.

I don't believe that you can learn acting in a classroom.

Theater school is essentially like training. It's boot camp. It's like an academy to put you through all these different situations that sometimes are more extreme than what you'll come across in the field. But now you're emotionally prepared for it so that when it does happen, it's not a big surprise.

What I do is to collaborate with each actor and work one-on-one to create a character. And that is a matter of huge complexity and is a combination of a great deal of discussion and a lot of practical work. It involves a lot of consideration for the real people out there, and all kinds of sources of real people. The result is the character. But I'm not supposed to talk about what it is we do, because it's nobody's business.

Improv is more than just spitting out a bunch of funny stuff that's unrelated to the material. You have to stay in character, you have to react and respond as the character you're trying to play. You have to service the story, and I think improv training has helped with my listening, responding, and my audition technique. It's sounds so silly, but it's true. Because not only do you improvise during the audition, but once you get the part, they'll say, "Throw away everything. Just improv this scene. Do whatever you want." Someone could panic if they're not used to doing something like that.

All you really have when you're acting is the confidence and your ability to manage and tell a story by creating a character.

Many people think voice over artists just read, there's much more to it. Without acting beats, scene study and improving skills, you won't make it.

I find acting conservatories really important. I've gone to four different ones, and all of them provided totally different tools for me.

Watching a good actor is the best way to learn.

There's no doubt in the world that directing makes you a better actor. Me, anyway. There's no doubt in the world that it makes me a more collaborative actor.

Your primary tools, as an actor, are observation and imagination. You can pretty much get everything you need from that, and you do. It brings back that element of pretend.

All they teach you in drama school is how to do stage fights and be a pain in rehearsals.

You see people in different situations behaving in very different ways. That can only benefit you as an actor.

You can be in an acting class all you want, but you don't fully learn until you get off that stage and in front of a camera.

When you work with actors, what you're hoping to absorb is good ways to be an actor as opposed to how to handle being famous.

I think if you're an actor, then you can work on stage - but if you've never done it before, you're going to have picked up a few things that you're going to need to change when you're working on stage.

My advice has always been to study the craft of acting if you want to be an actor. There are many great schools that teach acting. NYU being one of them.

I knew absolutely nothing about acting, and had to be taught everything. Some people are born naturals and know how to walk, talk and hold themselves. I didn't and had to learn everything.

I think not every improviser is a good stage actor. Certainly not every stage actor is a good improviser.

I learned so much about being an actor by being a director. More than I ever thought I would.

As an actor, you need to be versatile. You need to challenge yourself.

I really feel that acting for film and acting for the stage are two different crafts. I think that they share things in common. But I liken it to a painter switching over to photography. There are similar things - you have to be conscious of light and color and form - but it's a whole different medium.

I think my advice to other actors would be to get in classes. Get out in front of people. Put up scenes in front of your peers.

I started off on stage because it was the only work I could get. I haven't been back for 11 years. I think any stage experience is good experience, as far as being an actor is concerned.