Kevin Kline Quotes

What I learned is that acting is to a large extent about trying to stave off self-doubt long enough to be natural and real onstage.

If I feel insecure, then I am in the wrong profession. I have to trust my director and the material he has given me.

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

If I could go back to my first year of acting school, I'd probably say: 'Relax. Stop taking yourself so seriously.'

I become a better actor after I step on a stage in front of, like, 500 people when it's just me, a microphone and my guitar. You don't get as nervous walking into a room in front of 3 or 4 people and to do a scene or to walk on a set. You gain confidence.

Anytime I audition for something, it's always a question of whether or not the people I'm auditioning for understand I'm an improviser and I like to do that, and if they like that or if they just want someone who's going to do what's written.

On the whole, actors shout when they don't know what they're doing, trying to make an impact.

The first thing you have to get used to in any kind of acting is the ability to make a fool of yourself. If you haven't learnt how to make a fool of yourself, you shouldn't be on the boards. That's absolutely what it's all about.

There are a lot of things that make up a performance, a lot of technical things. It isn't always just about pulling it up from the darkest recesses of your mind or your heart. It's your experience and your observation.

Actors are such wonderful creatures and such wonderful instruments. It's always different on the page or in my head. I hear it differently. I see it differently. And then, you give it to an actor, and it comes alive in a way that you didn't expect.

It's what still excites me most about acting: letting your imagination go places it's never been before. There's nothing better than that.

When you prepare for something, you can then play around; you're not as worried about remembering your lines because you already know them so well. That's where you can find the freedom. So I'm all about prep work.

I suppose, back in the day, when I was on the stage, I had nothing to lose, and I did the accents.

I feel no terror when I'm acting. There's no tension. It's just a part.

I feel like I grow wings on stage.

I don't ever recall being nervous before performing because I've already stepped into the shoes and the clothes of the character.

When you take on an acting or dancing role, you have to trust your director, and in some ways there is freedom in relinquishing control.

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

I think the more you do this and the more comfortable you become on stage, you start speaking more and becoming more of a character in yourself.

All good actors are unpredictable, and a little crazy in a good way, because they feel more secure playing other people than themselves.

With acting, I always feel conscious of what I'm doing.

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

I guess there's this mind shift that happens once you're on stage. I don't know, chemicals, something happens and you just... I just become completely in control of where I am. And it's all about trusting the people that you're on the stage with, listening... and it just falls into place really easily.

When a performance isn't working, it's usually because the actor is trying to do something and they're not able to express their idea very well. It's a muddled expression.

I love acting because it's empowering. It empowers me.