Jonathan Groff Quotes

My old drama coach used to say, 'Don't just do something, stand there.' Gary Cooper wasn't afraid to do nothing.

You really have to take your time; you have to know your character and your scene. The line you are about to say comes from the moment right before. It's not what's said, it's what is in between the spaces, it's what's in between the lines; that is the most important to play.

For any role, I pretty much always go to the script, first and foremost.

It's sort of the most important thing for acting, is to listen to the person you're dealing with.

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.

The art of acting is to pitch good. You do the pitching and hope that the other person catches the ball and does some good pitching back to you.

I like to stretch my acting muscles.

One of the things I'm always reminded of when I'm back on stage is how much you have to be aware of and in control of. There is no tight shot. There is no 'we're only shoulders-up this time.' No, from the top of your head to your pinky toe, you're telegraphing part of the story the entire time you're up there.

Obviously there are times with acting when exactly what is required is just going through the motions, and when doing nothing is the best thing. But at other times, you have to make that leap beyond the immediate environment of people putting up lights on the set.

You can always tell an actor by the bored look in their eye whenever someone else is talking.

I walk into a scene, and I do the scene. That's my job. I don't have an objective. I have the words, and I have whoever I'm playing with.

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

I'm a huge fan of actors, and I love when people find moments and a scene works. There's nothing more that I love than to go over to another actor and say, 'Yeah! You just rocked that one, baby!'

Ultimately, as an actor, it comes down to committing to the text in the script.

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

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.

Fonda and Gary Cooper had the best sense of timing of all the actors I knew.

I just don't believe you're capable of being an actor unless you have a desire to experience your emotions in a public way.

Sometimes I think of movie acting as advanced pretend.

Reading great dialogue as an actor is such a rare privilege.

What you learn from studying acting is that you have to have the courage to just make strong choices.

I was very conscious of the actor; watched what he did.

As an actor, you try to bring as much of yourself to a part to try and create a feeling of authenticity and emotional truth and resonance.

It is hard sometimes to see how other actors are working when you are working with them.

As an actor, one's role is very much to respond and react to the situation within the context of the character and his world.