Willem Dafoe Quotes

I look at characters to see if they have some contrasts to play with; I think that's always what I'm looking for in characters: ones that have a wide range of expression.

As an actor, I'm constantly striving to find the darkness in the lighter characters and the lightness in the darker characters.

Every actor has to love and loathe the character he plays.

I personally take cues directly from the script, then I like to surprise the other actors. But you must maintain control on a level and see how far you can go up, down or out emotionally. You have to balance the craft with spontaneity.

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

I don't like the way some actors, when playing a nasty character, will try to grab hold of something good about them.

I like playing characters with as many emotions as possible. I'd love to play a really crazy person - someone truly out of her mind.

Josie needed more of a personality than what the cartoon had to offer.

When you start off acting, it does seem very romantic, and the make-believe part of it all seems very exciting. It's only later that you begin to realize how fascinating the work is - that it's a bottomless pit, and you never get to the end of it.

And as much as I love the gritty characters, I like to play all sorts of characters. I'm an actor. I love to create.

Basically, I only play one character; I just play him at different volumes.

I don't approach a role by saying I'll be unsavory or unlikable.

I try to master every facet of a character in order to build a safety net for myself, so I can go on to take more risks to create someone really distinct.

Representation means having characters with layers, showing them as human beings, so we can relate or have mixed emotions for that character.

If you go into something saying, 'I'm the bad guy,' you do yourself a disservice as an actor. It's always about trying to find the humanity in a character.

Every character is challenging because, at the end of the day, you have to make something out of it.

You never know the depth of an actor.

Whenever you have a role where you don't get to know anything about the character, you have to invent it yourself. You have to feel like it came from somewhere.

When I'm playing any of my characters, I totally go into the realm of the character. That's when I'm able to come up with the most creative stuff, and I believe that's what connects with the audience.

As an actor, it's very interesting to make the audience love you while you are doing horrendous things.

It's only over time that you get to exploring or adding nuances to the character. Like my part in 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' - I am so not the person who wears high heels and totters about like a poodle.

It's down to the actors to show the writers the potential of the character.

I want to give my characters nuance.

That's what frees up an actor: when you don't have to be responsible to likability.

Whenever I work on a role, I always allow it to subconsciously take me to a place that is magical and unexpected, rather than consciously driving it to a place.