Bad actors try to cry, and good actors try not to. Bad actors try to laugh, and good actors try not to.
Martin LandauRead
An actor knows much more about a character than the character knows about himself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Actors delve deeply into their characters, gaining insights that the characters themselves may not possess.
This quote by Martin Landau highlights the idea that an actor's understanding of their role goes beyond the script. An actor invests time and emotion into studying their character's background, motivations, and emotions, often discovering layers of complexity that the character may remain unaware of. This depth of understanding can lead to more authentic and compelling performances, as the actor embodies the character's journey with greater clarity and insight.
Themes
ActorCharacterPerformanceInsightArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a drama club meeting to discuss character development.
More from Martin Landau
All quotes βI run the Actor's Studio on the West Coast, and one of the things I say all the time to the people I teach - many of whom are acting teachers - is that an actor needs to make choices that make him present.
Martin LandauRead
I studied with Strasberg, Elia Kazan. They raised the bar. They weren't easy to please, and they made you achieve the best you could do. That's what a teacher does: he infuses you with passion for something.
Martin LandauRead
As a Jew, there's a need to keep that atrocity alive. There were Catholics and gypsies and homosexuals who died in the Holocaust, too. It's amazing that people allowed this slaughter to take place. There's a need to make these films and reiterate it happened.
Martin LandauRead
I love to see lack of clarity in a performance as well as clarity, as well as trust, as well as the kinds of things that human beings go through. I love to see spontaneity and 'inevitability.' How it gets there is going to shock the hell out of me, but it will get there somehow.
Martin LandauRead
People think I'm a very serious actor, which I am. But you know, if you don't have a sense of humor doing what I do, you perish.
Martin LandauRead
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