Nivin Pauly Quotes

Usually, I end up looking for something completely different to who I last played. But there is just a spark that's lit when I read a script or character I want to play.

As long as the character is interesting and I have something to do as an actor, there is no reason to turn it down.

There's no particular role that comes to mind that I'd like to take on, but for me, it's about playing interesting characters and not just two-dimensional ones.

I'm not looking to do 'Half Nelson' next, but to play anything that's a little more complex is really fun.

I try to get roles that challenge me in what I can do and who I think I can portray. For me, it's about creating characters with really fascinating stories, because that's what I like to watch on TV.

I prefer doing strong roles irrespective of duration, and it is almost impossible for me to take up a role that has nothing much to contribute to the script.

I always find that it's when a script is not detailed, then I have to do more work as an actor.

In choosing any role, I ask the same questions: what kind of part is it? is the role challenging? does the director have a vision? is the story moving? etc.

I feel I should never do passive characters. They don't work for me.

As actors, we want to choose somebody who has conflicts. I can't be always playing the girl next door. What's the challenge in that?

There are always practical decisions to be made about any character you're playing.

A while ago, I did a television adaptation of 'Bleak House,' and the character I played, as far as I was concerned, had no redeeming features whatsoever. I wasn't about to try to find any; I didn't need to.

I didn't want to be seen as just a guy on a list. I'm interested in good scripts, scripts that are about something, scripts that move your acting along.

I think it's fair to say I'm attracted to playing characters who are rather intense.

When a script moves me, I find that I immediately understand a character. Of course not completely, but I do understand.

The moment you say, 'I want to do a role,' the story suffers. I don't set priorities in terms of roles or scripts.

Well, usually when I finish one character, I'm looking for a role that's really different.

I read the script and try not to bring anything personal into it. I make notes, talk to the director and we decide what kinds of shades should be in the character.

Pretty much everything that I pick, when it comes to choosing roles, is just based on things and materials that grabs me. It's pretty much the subject matter that I gravitate towards.

You have to be careful so you don't make your character dull and predictable. Sometimes you have to bend the script a little... The bad guys are mostly the same on the paper... A bad guy wouldn't think of himself as bad.

I think you work on the roles that draw you in and the stories you want to tell.

For me, if the words are good on the page, the rest of it comes from spending some time with the script, and not like you're learning lines but absorbing what the script has to offer.

For me, it's first about the characters. I look for a character who is intriguing and challenging and different from what I've done before.

Playing dysfunctional characters or crazy characters is only fun if they're well written. So I have been lucky enough to be asked to play crazy people who are very well written.

These people I play are not usually wish-fulfillment characters.