Shanley Caswell Quotes

I think is very beneficial to relax yourself so that when you are doing it you are not staggering for lines and your concentration is not on what I am going to say - but the scene itself, the character that you are talking to.

When I am rehearsing for a play, I try to read nothing that might distract my concentration from the work in progress.

Once I'm on set, the only thing I'm really interested in is being in the room. Being present. And trusting that what I've done is sufficient, and I'm also trusting that I've also left room for magic.

I'm the sort of actor who likes to talk about what we're going to do.

When I attack a role, be it TV, film or stage, the first thing I say is, I don't want to know anything. If it's good I don't want to hear it; if it's bad I don't want to hear it. The only thing either thing can do is distract me. I like to stay focused.

I've tried to shut myself off as much as possible from the hype of 'War Horse,' and just thought, 'OK, I'm going to focus on the character and focus on the story and focus on what I have to do.'

I think that different actors go about their preparation differently, but when it comes to acting, I use my imagination.

Working with actors is something I've never done before. I find it tremendous. It's hard work.

All the things you can do to prepare for a role that free you, in the moment, are great. You have this muscle memory for things. You don't have to act it as much, once you've done it enough.

I think my best teacher and my best study was theater in general. It taught me a lot of patience and a lot of hard work, and I think that theater teaches you that you've got to know your stuff because you only get one chance.

Creating a role is an interesting thing - each show or each situation is different.

As a director, it is important to understand the actor's process.

I just happen to like the work. I like preparing for a role. I like reading. I like analyzing. I like literature. I like emotions. I like working with other actors.

Acting is all I know; being on a set is all I know.

I've been on projects before where there's no rehearsal, and you walk in on set and that's literally the first time you've ever played the character, and then I've had times where there's been three weeks of rehearsal. I like both.

One of the exciting and enjoyable aspects of acting is being in the environment with another actor.

Good acting is consistency of performance.

I think one of the mistakes actors make is we're so focused on what we're going to say.

To be able to work with actors who are doing such good work, not only makes it easier for you, but it makes you better.

Most actors are pretty adaptable because we work with so many directors.

I have a theater background, so I like finding beats, working on things and having rehearsal.

It's obvious that if you're going to play a character you need to amass information about that person and about their environment or their era that they're in and use as little or as much as necessary.

I love to do very long and complicated scenes.

My job was to play my character in the best way that I could, and hopefully people will enjoy that.

The best script in the world doesn't work perfectly when you actually act it out. That's a law. That's a given. So you have to play with everything. And the more fun you have with it, the better the finished product.