It took me two years to walk around a chair with ease; it took me another two years to learn how to laugh onstage - and I had to learn everything.
Laurence OlivierRead
Acting is an everlasting search for truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acting involves a continuous pursuit of genuine expression and authenticity.
Laurence Olivier's quote emphasizes that the essence of acting goes beyond mere performance; it is an ongoing quest for truth and authenticity in portraying human emotions and experiences. This pursuit is what makes acting not just a craft but an art form, where the actor delves into deep emotional and psychological truths to create relatable and impactful performances.
Themes
ActingTruthAuthenticityPerformanceArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a theater workshop, we discussed Olivier's perspective on the need for authenticity in acting.
More from Laurence Olivier
All quotes →What is the main problem of the actor? It is to keep the audience awake, and not let them go to sleep, then wake up and go home feeling they've wasted their money.
Laurence OlivierRead
Work is life for me, it is the only point of life - and with it there is almost religious belief that service is everything.
Laurence OlivierRead
I don't know what is better than the work that is given to the actor - to teach the human heart the knowledge of itself.
Laurence OlivierRead
I'd like people to remember me for a diligent expert workman. I think a poet is a workman. I think Shakespeare was a workman. And God's a workman. I don't think there's anything better than a workman.
Laurence OlivierRead
Nine books have been written about me, and there's not a word of truth in any of them.
Laurence OlivierRead
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