Rich Sommer Quotes

I took theatre and stuff in college, then I took a bunch of different acting classes here in L.A. Sometimes when I have a hard audition, I'll call my acting coach and he'll come help me. I actually get more nervous in acting class than I do at an actual audition. It's actually a really great way to get over your nerves.

Just getting auditions was rough. But also just learning how to act - when I did my first role, in a film I did which was a favour to a friend, I realised I was really bad at it.

If you want to deliver as an actor, you need to know the language. If you don't know what you are mouthing, how will you perform? For me, it is important to know the language.

Any acting job that I ever got, I always treated it like I was a neophyte; I didn't know what I was doing, and I was going to work just as hard as I do on my stand-up.

The best way to study to be an actor is to interact genuinely with the people around you and observe and listen.

I think when you have some success as a kid, your notion of being a good actor is pleasing the director, doing exactly what they tell you to do.

As an actor, your life experience is just as important as studying.

Most of my training at graduate school was geared towards drama, so I feel good about it, and I can do it, but it requires a lot more work from me. I feel like with drama... well, with all acting, really, you need to honor the truth of the situation.

I've not taken like acting lessons or anything but it doesn't mean I don't need to because I'm sure I do.

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

As an actor, being on autopilot is the worst thing possible.

I thought acting was all about natural instinct but I've realised, through working with so many talented actors on 'Wild Swans' and 'Run,' that I can see the training. That's why I am back at drama school.

What's beautiful about the actual acting class environment is that you can use it to push through everything: push your voice, push your inhibitions, push your fears, push your confidence, push your vulnerability, push your silences.

I think when you're acting, you usually don't have to know too much beyond how to pronounce the words you're saying.

So, I certainly subscribe to what Bette said about acting being very hard work.

As an actor, I have these tics that I don't even know exist.

Now that I'm acting, I've realized that I don't have a lot of barriers. Certain actors have a hard time with anger or with joy or with whatever, and, I don't know, I don't seem to have those barriers.

Confidence is the greatest gift for an actor.

Ryerson helped me because I was around acting all the time. It was pretty much all I thought about, even if I didn't really get to practice every day; I definitely thought about it. Actually a lot of it was just sitting and watching, especially in my last year, but I think a good actor learns from everything.

I am learning the grammar of acting on the sets. And I am happy that way.

When I first started my acting career, I only knew what my acting teacher taught me. When a director gave me an impromptu direction, I didn't know what he wanted me to do, and I wanted to escape from the place.

I think in any form of acting, you're always well served if you've done theater.

When you work as an actor, you've got to feel safe even in what appears to be the simplest things.

I am a proud participant of the Spencer Tracy School of Acting: Know your lines, don't bump into the furniture.

I'm not going to get better as an actor working on bad stuff.