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 illusion, as much illusion as magic is - and not so much a matter of being real.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acting is a form of art that involves creating illusions rather than portraying reality.
Laurence Olivier's quote reflects on the nature of acting, suggesting that it is not necessarily about being authentic or true to life but rather about creating a believable illusion for an audience. Just like magic, acting relies on the skill of the performer to craft an experience that captivates and engages viewers, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
Themes
ActingIllusionArtPerformanceTheater
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to inspire actors during a workshop on performance techniques.
More from Laurence Olivier
All quotes βWhat 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
Acting is an everlasting search for truth.
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
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