Essie Davis Quotes

As actors, you don't actually need to know the future of the character. You just need to know the backgrounds.

I try to begin with a strong grasp of my characters. Even if it's schematic, I need it clear in my head who these people are.

You're living with these characters for years and years, you need to have a lock on who they are as people, what they like, what they don't like, what they experience, and what they go through.

Don't start writing your novel until you know your characters very, very well. What they'd do if they saw somebody shoplifting. What they were like at school. What shoes they wear. Spend days - weeks, months - being them until they thicken up and start to breathe.

Usually when I'm trying to establish character, I try and find out where they live.

Don't set pen to paper until you know your main characters inside out. Create files detailing their appearances, likes, dislikes, and personal background. You may not use all the information, but it is a crucial step in planning your story.

For me, I always have to establish a reality for the character. In very actor-y terms, you just have to understand his reality.

I know all actors are different, but I've never sat down and asked the writers, 'Where are we headed? Am I good or bad?'

Well, first of all, you read the script a million times. Because what the script gives you are given circumstances. Given circumstances are all the facts of your character.

My school of thought with going into a character is that you have to understand where they come from, and you have to empathize with them.

'Longmire' is more of a show about the characters, and you couldn't pay a bigger compliment than to want to know more about my character, or the characters on the show.

I try mainly to just focus on character and what my character's point of view is, with each person, and try to figure out story.

I've got to write about my character every day. I've got to find out where he lives, what bus he catches to school, and stuff like that. You've got to know every little thing about him so when you do it, it feels natural.

You have to play the logic of a character.

I think the idea is to try and understand everything about the characters and where the character is coming from, from their point of view, why they say what they do. And not, 'Oh, but I would never say that. Why does the character say that?' But then making it as personal as possible.

I'm about my characters.

As a writer, you have to put yourself in service to the character, get behind their eyes by delineating the world where the character develops. You have to listen to the character and see him inside his certain world to know what conclusions he would draw.

As an actor, you want to be able to move your character forward into new ground, but also it's really interesting to go backwards and unpeel those layers and the interesting elements of what your character is and what informs the decisions that you make so that you can have as much meat to work with.

There are always different roles and questions to be asked about certain characters.

I do think you need to understand a character's motivation and perspective.

With any role I play, I find out what the human problem is first.

I honestly feel it is important for a director to get obsessed with the characters.

It's much easier to come back as a recurring character. Because you already know his traits and who he is and what he's about.

Because characters are your creations, you are the one who ultimately gets to decide their fate.

Sometimes the director will want you to write about the character, sometimes he'll want you to live in the location that the character is from or something like that, but I don't usually make a lot of notes or anything like that.