Quotes

Stories have magic and power. The characters are of the story, and they are the story. You want to respect that.

[from a presentation on acting at a conference for psychotherapists] Plays and films are like those huge medieval stained glass windows. An incredible amount of labor and craftsmanship go into them -- from everyone, the writers, directors, crews, actors -- but all that preparation is toward the moment when the light shines through all that craftsmanship. The light is the story. That's the magical, intangible part. Why the heck does the audience cry or get excited when they watch? They're just seeing a bunch of actors standing around, surrounded by plywood, reciting words they've memorized. It's the story. It's all there to serve the story.

[from a presentation on acting at a conference for psychotherapists] For me acting is like the Zen archery story where the master says to the student, "Stop trying to shoot! Let IT shoot!" And the frustrated student says, "But what is IT?!" And the master says, "I can't tell you!" It's a matter of not trying, of getting out of the way and letting IT play the character ... whatever IT is. When it happens it can be really weird. But nice. And a big relief. It takes a lot of hard work and practice to not do it.