Jason Robards Quotes

I am a professional actor, and I don't go about moralizing about what the character does. Otherwise, seriously, why be an actor? You're not making some kind of social statement. That's not what actors do.

Knowing what thought process goes into constructing a line helps an actor know how to deliver that line because you understand the intention behind the writing.

As an actor, one's role is very much to respond and react to the situation within the context of the character and his world.

The process changes slightly from role to role. Obviously, there are different things you're called on to do. You're not digging deep for Basher Tarr like I was for Paul Rusesabagina, but at the end of the day it's still all make-believe and you still are trying as realistically as you can to depict these characters.

In the work that I normally do, you have a whole script, a whole arc, that you play. And I do believe a good actor will play every bit of information they're given.

I'm really a director's actor. I rely heavily on a director.

The actor always must be in the scene, not above the scene. To communicate any larger ideas is my problem; it's how the narrative is constructed and directed that hopefully does it.

As an actor, I've always found that my job is not to judge the content in which I've agreed to perform in. What I try to do is just find the truth in every moment that they've written.

As an actor, the thing I want to do to an audience is always be ahead of them and always be surprising in the work without deviating from the writer's intention.

Basically, I only play one character; I just play him at different volumes.

Well, I've always been a character actor, you know, and you always get your share of character actors who are bad guys. So it never surprises me. And if it's good writing, you can find your way into the part well enough.

When you get to set, you don't try to play the plot; you just play the character.

A good actor always sets you straight. If you've written a false moment and thought it was probably pretty great, the actor's gonna show you when he gets to that moment. They're the great test of the validity of the material.

As an actor, your first priority is the work - immersing yourself in the role, backstory, and bringing that to screen.

I really enjoy playing intelligent characters. I'm more interested in that than just emotional kind of Mum characters.

The most vital thing for an actor to deliver a great performance is to be honest to the role he or she is playing.

I like to prepare for my roles well, so you can call me a method actor to an extent.

When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.

I think the best actors do both. I think they fulfill what you want them to do, in terms of the vision for the whole piece. And then they always bring something that does surprise you and shock you.

Ultimately, as an actor, it comes down to committing to the text in the script.

There's the truth to every moment that you have to bring to every scene, but you have to understand the tonality of the film before you begin, which isn't something that's instinctual to me.

In acting class, teachers talk about how the 'givens' of a situation help define a character.

I do not use any set methods, not even The Method. The character after all is in the lines.

I'm not the kind of actor that would know what my character had for breakfast last Tuesday.

If you write interesting roles, you get interesting people to play them. If you write roles that are full of nuance and contradiction and have interesting dialog, actors are drawn to that.