Paul Muni Quotes

Acting is not a mystery. There's nothing that I know that other actors don't know. We all act, we're all actors, we all know the same thing. The only thing that separates us is experience.

For me, acting is doing.

Acting is not being emotional, but being able to express emotion.

I really don't know what I'm doing... I don't. It's terrible. I go in there and I learn how to be like the character and do the best I can, and that's all I really do.

Acting to me is always reacting.

Acting is reacting, and it's always easier to react when someone is doing a good job.

Acting is about acting, not about being a movie star.

There's no mystique to acting. It's only common sense - and a bit of courage.

Good acting is consistency of performance.

It's just acting. I take acting seriously but up to a point.

Acting is always hard.

I just feel my way through. If I had to give an acting class, I wouldn't know what to do.

I was trained by Method acting teachers and we were taught that aside from whatever gift you may or may not have or the level of that gift, that you were obliged to know how to build a table. It's a craft. It's like being a ballerina or a violinist.

As an actress, emotions are my business, my stock-in-trade. As such, I've dealt with them nearly all my life.

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

For the actors, the talent is to serve the demands that I ask of them, to do it with naturality and truth, and to be honest when we were terrified.

Some actors get by with behaving, not acting. You've got to sell the effect. I act more in the 'Nightmare' movies because it's not like me. I'm acting, not reacting.

I like to stretch my acting muscles.

I don't mind being identified as any character as long as I'm doing a good job as an actor. I have done all kinds of roles - from an editor, judge, police officer, murderer to a corrupt businessman.

All actors do that. Should do that and do that. For the most part. I say all actors. I'm exaggerating, but you know who does and who doesn't. Vince is a wonderful young actor who knows his work and did a beautiful job on this film.

Good acting is all in the writing. If it isn't on the page, then it really won't make any difference. You cannot act on force of personality alone.

Drama is not hard for me. It just didn't seem hard.

So from an actor's perspective, you really have no idea how you're acting.

Acting is a mysterious process.

Acting is really scary, but it's also challenging, fun, hard work. There's always an element of improvisation with every actor, even when something is really scripted.