Sheryl Lee Quotes

I do my best work when I feel conviction to say something through the character I play. Always I want to have integrity and not compromise that.

I would take plays and I would cut out all the other dialogue and make long monologues because I felt the other kids weren't taking it as seriously as I did.

I open myself up every time I walk on screen and give you everything that I am. There are parts of me that are in every movie that I've done. That to me is what my job is.

There are times in my 30 years in the theater that I have come perilously close to losing faith in the one form of action I have in this life.

I am married to the theater, and the films are only my mistress.

I got to feel like what I'm giving the fans is 100 percent and that it's game-changing.

There comes a point in any project where you have to say - whether you like or understand the character, or the whole play for that matter - 'I believe!'

The actors I admire always have something to say, or a level of poetry, belief, activism or intelligence about what they do or how they feel.

Belief is everything when you're performing something. If you don't have the belief behind it, then that actually puts a shunt on the character. It's like, "Does the character believe this for a minute?"

I get the greatest joy from just doing anything, being an actor. Doing music, and doing what I love to do. I don't make a huge distinction between comedy and drama. I think the whole point is just trying to be as honest, from moment to moment, as you can be. If you're honest about the material, and the material is ridiculous, then you're in a comedy.

I always hated the world "acting" - to say, "I'm an actor." It should be more like a believer.

I don't do all of this as an indulgence. I do it because I'm not a good enough actor to not do it.

Acting is really important to me, so I think it would be really hard for me to do something I didn't believe in.

I knew I could live no other way, that the one thing I wanted was to act and do it well.

From a young age, I had done a lot of theater and musical theater. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with my life, but every time I was away from acting, I just felt very incomplete and a little stir crazy.

I think I'm kind of attracted to the material more than the medium. I'm not opposed to doing a television show, though. I actually think there are a couple of good ones. And there is some terrible theater. Film is a very different kind of acting.

Well, first of all I'll say that I come alive best in theater.

I was always curious about motivation and intention, and really, that's a lot of what acting is.

On the stage, you have to find truth, even if you have to lose the audience.

Up until I started on YouTube, my first love was musical theater.

I think a show can work anywhere if it's done honestly, with integrity, and with confidence.

You'll read things and say, this is a really good project and it's probably going to be a hit, but I can see 20 other people playing that part. You have to have some sense of ownership to do a good job and be married to it for ever.

My focus is my art, and that's what I love to do. I have to be really passionate in order to do something. I've turned down many things that I just didn't believe in.

I never thought about being on a series before. It seemed like such a big commitment. But I love going to work every day. This is not about ego, it's about work, and that's refreshing in this town.

For me personally, I'm mostly focused on writing and acting right now.