There are two kinds of writers; the great ones who can give you truths, and the lessor ones, who can only give you themselves.
Clifton FadimanRead
The actor is there to translate what's on the page onto the stage or the screen. So I find it important that an actor manages to actually get out of the way, vanish as a person behind the character, never to be seen or talked about again. That's my philosophy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
An actor should prioritize the character they portray over their personal identity.
Christoph Waltz emphasizes that the true role of an actor is to embody the character they are portraying, becoming invisible in the process. This philosophy suggests that an actor's personal identity should not interfere with the storytelling, allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the narrative and the character's journey.
Themes
ActorCharacterPhilosophyPerformanceArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about acting techniques, one could use this quote to highlight the significance of character immersion.
Similar quotes
Dance music ... stirs some barbaric instinct - lulled asleep in our sober lives - you forget centuries of civilization in a second, & yield to that strange passion which sends you madly whirling round the room.
Virginia WoolfRead
First you have nothing, and then, astonishingly, after ripping out your brain and your heart and betraying your friends and ex-lovers and dreaming like a zombie over the page till you can't see or hear or smell or taste, you have something.
T.C. BoyleRead
The only thing I really wanted was the freedom to be able to get what I want on film. I’ve dealt with the MPAA since 1973, so I know how to renegotiate and rework.
Martin ScorseseRead
A man writes because he is tormented, because he doubts. He needs to constantly prove to himself and the others that he’s worth something. And if I know for sure that I’m a genius? Why write then? What the hell for?
Andrei TarkovskyRead
I discover poetry when I was in elementary school and I was so fascinated by it. Because I realised if you get the right amount of syllables and the right amount of words, in the right rhyme scheme and you put it all together. You make words just bounce of a page.
Taylor SwiftRead