If the script's good, everything you need is in there. I just try and feel it, and do it honestly. I also don't learn things for auditions, because I feel like it's just a test of memorizing rather than being real. Maybe every other actor would think that was terrible, I don't know. But it seems to have worked for me, so far.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of authenticity and instinct in acting over rote memorization.
Olivia Colman reflects on her approach to acting, suggesting that a well-written script contains all the necessary elements for a performance. She expresses her preference for embodying the character honestly rather than merely memorizing lines for auditions, which she feels compromises the authenticity of the portrayal. Her method may not align with traditional expectations, but it has proven effective for her career.
In practice
During an acting workshop, this quote can be shared to inspire students to trust their instincts.
When you've got children, it's easy to do that thing of keeping a tally of who woke up earliest and whose turn it is to put them to bed. But I think the important thing is to appreciate and love each other and to show that appreciation.
I had a lovely, feral, free childhood - out and then come back when you're hungry or it gets too dark. I feel slightly cruel that I'm not offering my children the same.
My mum was a nurse, and her passion was geriatric care. I used to love listening to the old people's stories in her nursing home and picturing myself in their place. They'd say, 'I went to school in a horse and cart,' and I'd just think 'Wow!' I'd picture myself in their place - acting was a natural progression.
Before I was born my mother was in great agony of spirit and in a tragic situation. She could take no food except iced oysters and champagne. If people ask me when I began to dance, I reply 'In my mother's womb, probably as a result of the oysters and Champagne.'
People think that my favorite roles to do are villains, but I find comedy to be the most challenging and rewarding.
Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.
Reviews for someone like me come in three packages. One is justifiable praise, the second is justifiable criticism, and the third is, "This is only published because he's a celebrity."
All the music I loved as a child, people thought it was junk. People were unaware of the subtext in so many of those records but if you were a kid you were just completely tuned in, even though you didn't always say - you wouldn't dare say it was beautiful.
I'm an engineer. I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers... They use my tools.
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