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Being an actor means asking people to look at you. I guess I accept that. But it's a profession in which the job is to show another world and other people. You may access it through bits of yourself, and your imagination and experience, but actually, in the end, you're not playing yourself.
Ralph Fiennes
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects the duality of an actor's role, balancing self-presentation with the portrayal of diverse characters.

Ralph Fiennes highlights the essence of acting, which involves inviting an audience's gaze while transcending one's own identity to embody various roles. It emphasizes that actors draw upon personal experiences and creativity, yet their ultimate aim is to transport viewers into different worlds, suggesting a deep connection between self and character despite the separation.

Themes

ActingPerformanceIdentityImaginationTheater

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the complexities of performing arts, one might cite this quote to emphasize the transformative nature of acting.

More from Ralph Fiennes

So much of movie acting is in the lighting. And in loving your characters. I try to know them, and with that intimacy comes love. And now, I love Voldemort.
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I spent the past week here in India getting a sense of the reality of HIV and AIDS in people's lives. Fathers and mothers are dying, leaving children with no support. Stigma and discrimination is ruining the family lives. There is an urgent need for education, information, and increased awareness of HIV and AIDS. The response needs to be now. We cannot afford to become fatigued.
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I don't plan a career. That doesn't work for me. I just have to go with my gut.
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When you meet women, don't pretend to be anything that you're not.
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As an actor, there's a bit of you that's decided you want to be looked at and watched, but there's a paradoxical bit that wants to run away.
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Success.. is all about being able to extend love to people... not in a big, capital letter sense but in the everyday. Little by little, task by task, gesture by gesture, word by word.
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