Stewart O'Nan Quotes

If you have a very good concept of your character, you can snap into it.

There's a kind of acting that goes on in my head when I'm writing a character where I put myself in their place.

What I try to do in writing any character is to put myself in his position.

I think in a lot of ways, writing, when you're really in there, is like being an actress because you're in somebody else's head.

Don't write about a character. Become that character, and then write your story.

I try to put myself into whatever character I play.

I feel like with every character, you try to put yourself in that person's position and just completely use your imagination. That's what I do, at least. Everything is just pretend.

I like to be absorbed in what my character's doing.

When we don't have all the details about our characters, we have to make it up to fill in all the details. So, for me, writing and acting go hand in hand.

As I write, I try to be the character.

Well,the fun part of being a writer is that it's like making a wonderful film, with no limit on my budget. I can design the sets, the costume, the lightings, I write the script, and then I get to perform all the roles as I step into each character's skin, zip up, and adopt that point of view. So, to me, they are all compelling and fascinating.

When I'm writing novels, even screenplays, it's never an actor I have in mind; it's always the version in my head of who the character is. Once somebody gets cast, I have to adjust a little bit to who they are.

I'm an actor. I'm trying to be the character and do what they're doing.

I never like to go out of character when filming starts. I fear that if I do, I might not be able to pick it up again.

I think I was probably able to flip characters in my head as if I was playing different roles in order to write the different people because you kind of have to be one person, and inhabit him and write from his voice and be her and write her voice. So I think that helped.

In the writing phase, normally I try not to envisage any particular actors because I like to let the characters sort of reveal themselves in that process.

Working on camera is a different ballgame in the sense that it's far more intimate work, but the basics and the foundations of being able to create something that isn't necessarily your own instincts - is a character that you have inside your head - whether you're talking about television or film or theater, that still has to be the grounding work.

You have this certain about of responsibility to play a fictitious character and you have a script that's guiding you and the other information of the custom department's choices, and the set department, "Where are you," and all those other pieces of information but you have to cull from your imagination the answer to all the unasked questions. And with a real person, there's someone to get that information from, perhaps.

I just love to act. I like to get away, totally play a different character, someone you can get really involved in knowing. I've gotten really involved in some characters and written down little summaries of where they live and what their families are like.

I just love to be able to actually build a character.

I like to build a character, trying to stretch my imagination as far to the walls of my brain as I can to come up with something that feels truthful and feels real - as close to the skin as I can get it.

I find it easier to play someone who is so far from me because you create someone - you build this person based on the story and the script, with the director.

The idea of transformation - playing something I'm not - is the bit I enjoy most about acting.

When I act, a part of me goes into the character I am playing.

I've read all the 'Game of Thrones' books many times over, so I sometimes find it easier being on set, because it can be hard to get out of character.