Thoughts and feelings are suspended in a vacuum unless they instigate and feed the selected actions, and it is the characters actions which reveal the character in the play.
Uta HagenRead
If you want a bourgeois existence, you shouldn't be an actor. You're in the wrong profession.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that pursuing a life focused solely on material wealth is incompatible with the authentic and passionate nature of acting.
Uta Hagen highlights the dichotomy between a conventional, bourgeois lifestyle and the deeper emotional truths required in the acting profession. She implies that actors should embrace authenticity and passion rather than seeking comfort and material success, as true art demands vulnerability and a connection to the human experience.
Themes
ActingAuthenticityArtProfessionPassion
In practice
Example use cases
During a theater workshop, a mentor might use this quote to encourage aspiring actors to seek deeper truths in their performances.
More from Uta Hagen
All quotes βTheoretically, the actor ought to be more sound in mind and body than other people, since he learns to understand the psychological problems of human beings when putting his own passions, his loves, fears, and rages to work in the service of the characters he plays. He will learn to face himself, to hide nothing from himself- and to do so takes AN INSATIABLE CURIOSITY ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION
Uta HagenRead
Once in awhile, there's stuff that makes me say, That's what theatre's about. It has to be a human event on the stage, and that doesn't happen very often.
Uta HagenRead
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