If you want to reach every person in the audience, it's not about being bigger, it's about going deeper.
Sanford MeisnerRead
The only way to deal with yourself as an actor is to follow the emotional truth of what you have to do under the imaginary circumstances. And as you develop you become confident. You come to believe in what you're doing and trust it because it's out of you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of emotional truth and self-confidence in acting.
Sanford Meisner highlights that true acting involves tapping into one's emotional authenticity while engaging in imagined scenarios. As an actor grows and develops, they gain confidence in their craft, which helps them trust the portrayals they create, leading to more genuine performances.
Themes
ActingEmotional TruthConfidenceSelf-DiscoveryPerformance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of authenticity in art.
More from Sanford Meisner
All quotes →Your acting will not be good until it is only yours. That's true of music, acting, anything creative. You work until finally nobody is acting like you.
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Being an actor is a religious calling because you've been given the ability, the gift to inspire humanity. Think about that on the way to your soap opera audition.
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Acting is the ability to live truthfully under the given imaginary circumstances
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You can't learn to act unless you're criticized. If you tie that criticism to your childhood insecurities you'll have a terrible time. Instead, you must take criticism objectively, pertaining it only to the work being done.
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