Matthew Davis Quotes

There's a positive side to film and television, the sense of feeding into the theater... Your fans will follow you, hopefully, and be open-minded to see you play other things and experience other stories you want to tell.

There's a tremendous amount to be gained from being a performer, and being an artist, and being an actor.

Acting is always at the core of my life, but I'm also excited about producing. I'm excited about directing, and I have a life in the filmmaking world, and so I want to explore all aspects of it, not just the acting, but acting is the root.

I still think of myself as a stage actor. When I do film and television I try to implement what I was taught to do in theatre, to try to stretch into characters that are far from myself.

I started in theater, and I love to go back to theater, just to have the experience and recharge my batteries, creatively.

I think film and television are really a director's medium, whereas theatre is the actor's medium.

See, that's the thing: I'm not one of those actors who thinks, 'God, I've got to improvise and make it my own.' No, my first job as an actor is to take what's written and make it work. And then, if they want me to improvise, I'll do that.

There's something about being in a house with an audience, and having that immediate feedback. I started acting because of that energy; it's what feeds me on stage and informs my choices.

Musical theater is great; you get painted up, you get to play princesses and witches, and you sing. The joy alone of that can really carry a lot.

I think when I was doing 'Amistad,' I was just too young to really understand what the process was, and beyond that, I hadn't really got involved. It was just somehow - and I thought that the artistry was all in the theater.

I had to work out where I was going, what type of films I wanted to make. For that reason, I decided to choose independent productions, less important roles, and I tried theater, too.

Writing and directing might be a red herring, and really I'm just re-examining what it is to act, to do it well and do it properly.

Live theatre provides a rush you can't get in film or television. But it is the TV and film work that offers the leisure to go off and do a play.

I'm a comedian who got into movies, so I don't really think of myself as an actor.

I've done so much theater, and yet I never had an experience like 'The Normal Heart.' We could feel the reaction of the audience every night. It was visceral.

There's an impression that actors make a lot of choices. I just take what's there.

Directing remains very psychological, and it takes a lot of time and reflection. When you're an actor, it takes less time, and you can express yourself physically.

Actors are always the last to see what they have created.

I didn't get into this so I could talk about my work, my movies. You become an actor to act.

I'm not like one of those actors who's a frustrated director.

A script narration is like watching a film, and I react to it like an audience with my own instinct. After that, I look for what is my character, what will I bring to the table in that role, how challenging will it be.

I love the power of theater. I think it's an experience you never forget.

I started in theatre, moved into film and television, and started doing voice work, which is funny because after a long time in film and television, you forget how much you rely on just a simple look on your face.

I feel I have been a part of some very wonderful films, and I have had it in mind when I was on the set, every day, that what I am doing has meaning.

Once you're in a musical, there is a huge opportunity for that, singing and dancing, 'Aha!' and 'Tada' at the end of the numbers; but it's a different kind of discipline you have to go through to maintain that kind of performance.