Joan Rivers Quotes

I think it's still kind of weird to memorize a line, because you're supposed to 'be' this person, you know? So then its like, if I'm really this person, how can I be in the moment if I know there's just one line I'm supposed to say? It doesn't feel natural. I always just kind of want to say whatever comes up.

The most fun you can possibly have as an actor is to walk that line between what's real and what's interesting.

An actor is someone who pretends to be somebody else. A movie star is somebody who pretends that somebody else is them.

I am a natural actor. I try to keep it spontaneous as far as possible. That is my mantra.

In my screen test for 'Hanna,' I sort of pretended I was this sporty person when I really wasn't.

It's an acting job - acting natural.

When they came to you for your line, you had to be ready and you had to get it in one.

The thing about being an actor is that you're acting. It's not that big of a deal of to play someone different from yourself.

As an actor, I'm always up for exploring and trying new things.

Good acting is about being as natural and calm as possible. These days producers have such definite ideas that you have to be prepared to do whatever they ask.

Boxing is a lot of preparation and then improvising, so there are parallels to being an actor.

As an actor, you don't know what is going to come next.

As an actor, if you were to simplify what acting really is, it's about letting go.

With modelling, you provide an image that is fake; with acting you have to provide an image that's real.

I love to act and put on a show, but you're playing a character all the time. For music, it's really just me being myself.

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

Acting is nothing more or less than playing. The idea is to humanize life.

Acting is trying to be absolutely truthful; to get audiences to believe that you are a dean, when, actually, not only are you not the dean, but if you walked into the building they'd probably throw you out. That's very hard.

If you're acting, then there's a prescribed way to behave; whereas in life, there's no prescribed way. So acting feels like a comfortable way to get through the day.

Acting is not about dressing up. Acting is about stripping bare. The whole essence of learning lines is to forget them so you can make them sound like you thought of them that instant.

I think the first take is best, as you are spontaneous, and after that, it becomes a mechanical thing. I don't believe in second take at all.

As an actress, you have to be very naive.

When I'm acting, I do what I'm supposed to do.

For any role, I pretty much always go to the script, first and foremost.

I've always believed acting is an improvisational art form, even when not a single line is changed. I mean, the behavior should always be improvised. My favorite moments in any performance are when I'm just along for the ride; when I'm surprising myself. I know when I'm done and I think to myself, 'Gee, I didn't see that coming,' I've done well.