More Great Quotes on Acting

If you know me (or you’ve read my blog much) you’ll know I’m really fond of a powerful quote. I think it’s great when someone says something succinctly, and if that something chimes with you or it makes you nod your head in agreement. Well, here’s a few choice quotes on acting that get my head nodding.

“Never forget acting is a big fat trick we play on an audience” William H Macy

“The ideas of the great playwrights are almost always larger than the experiences of even the best actors.” Stella Adler

“The actor is the athlete of the heart” Antonin Artaud

“Working in the theatre has a lot in common with unemployment” Arthur Gingold

“It is a difficult profession and a frightening profession. Why is this? Just as the character doesn’t know how he’s going to survive, as an actor, when you get cast in that role, the fear is, How am I going to pull this off? And we have technique, which we bring to bear to cover every base that you possibly can. But the question remains, How do I pull this off?, and the answer is not forthcoming‹never has been, never will be. You have to walk in terrified that you’re going to fail. There’s no getting around the fact that most actors, a lot of the time, feel like frauds. And the mature actor says, “That’s great.” William H Macy

“Create your own method. Don’t depend slavishly on mine. Make up something that will work for you! But keep breaking traditions, I beg you” Konstantin Stanislavski

Sorry folks, I don’t provide citations to these quotes. Enjoy them, they’re not meant for essays.

Best Wishes

Mark Westbrook – Acting Coach Scotland