I'm an actor; I have made my living by acting, and I almost think I owe it to the public to express my feelings and not as a character on a screen but as myself.
Kirk DouglasRead
Acting is make-believe. I never believe I'm the character; I want you to believe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acting is about creating a believable illusion rather than truly embodying another person.
In this quote, Kirk Douglas emphasizes that the essence of acting lies not in the actor's personal identification with the character, but in the ability to convince the audience of the character's reality. This distinction highlights the artistry involved in performance, where the actor's goal is to facilitate belief in the narrative for the viewers, rather than losing themselves completely in the role.
Themes
ActingBelievabilityPerformanceIllusionTheater
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about acting skills in a drama class.
More from Kirk Douglas
All quotes βCancer does give you a new rejuvenation. I know what it's like to be down. I lost a couple of good friends - Larry Hagman and Nick Ashford - who had the same type of cancer that I did, and that makes you think.
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Too often, I have not been what I wanted to be; I've succumbed to pressures. Yes, I have. The things I've done that I liked, I've always done against advice.
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I didn't start out to be a movie star. I started out to be an actor.
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People are composed of many things, and in my work, what influences me is the complexity of people - the chiaroscuro of dark and light. When I play a strong guy, I try to find, where is he weak? And, conversely, when I play a weak guy, where is he strong?
Kirk DouglasRead
When you have a stroke, you must talk slowly to be understood, and I've discovered that when I talk slowly, people listen. They think I'm going to say something important!
Kirk DouglasRead
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