The capacity you're thinking of is imagination; without it there can be no understanding, indeed no fiction.
William TrevorRead
By the end, you should be inside your character, actually operating from within somebody else, and knowing him pretty well, as that person knows himself or herself. You're sort of a predator, an invader of people.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the deep immersion required in character acting, where understanding and empathy for the character's perspective is essential.
William Trevor's quote highlights the transformative process of becoming a character in acting. It suggests that to portray someone authentically, an actor must develop a profound understanding of that character's inner life, fears, and motivations, almost to the point of invading their personal space and thoughts. This level of empathy and connection is what separates surface-level acting from a truly powerful performance.
Themes
ActingCharacterImmersionEmpathyPerformance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a drama class to inspire students to delve deeper into their characters.
More from William Trevor
All quotes →My fiction may, now and again, illuminate aspects of the human condition, but I do not consciously set out to do so: I am a storyteller.
William TrevorRead
I read hungrily and delightedly, and have realized since that you can’t write unless you read.
William TrevorRead
People run away to be alone,' he said. Some people had to be alone.
William TrevorRead
Similar quotes
Actors can have a fair amount of hate for each other, so when another actor says, 'You did your thing,' or 'That was inspiring,' you can't really ask for more than that.
Chadwick BosemanRead
...in my dreams the world would come alive, becoming so captivatingly majestic, free and ethereal, that afterwards it would be oppressive to breathe the dust of this painted life.
Vladimir NabokovRead
The language of art is celestial in origin and can only be understood by the chosen.
El GrecoRead
Whatever your life's pursuit -- art, poetry, sculpture, music, whatever your occupation may be -- you can be as spiritual as clergy, always living a life of praise.
Hazrat Inayat KhanRead
Toward his critics, the artist harbors a defensive ace: knowledge that the future will erase the present.
Louise GluckRead
Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.
Rainbow RowellRead