Melanie Lynskey Quotes

A while ago, I did a television adaptation of 'Bleak House,' and the character I played, as far as I was concerned, had no redeeming features whatsoever. I wasn't about to try to find any; I didn't need to.

Also, in my acting, I feel very much like a storyteller, exploring the flaws of the characters that I interpret. I look for the imperfections, and I love a character that is just so flawed.

There's no particular role that comes to mind that I'd like to take on, but for me, it's about playing interesting characters and not just two-dimensional ones.

When I look at a character, whether he's good or bad, one scene or 10 scenes, I just have to find my way in.

For me, it's first about the characters. I look for a character who is intriguing and challenging and different from what I've done before.

Playing dysfunctional characters or crazy characters is only fun if they're well written. So I have been lucky enough to be asked to play crazy people who are very well written.

It's always fun to layer a character, to make the character a little bit more dynamic than it is on paper.

There is nothing like being able to develop a three-dimensional character over a long period of time. Sometimes you aren't able to fully portray a character because you only have a couple of scenes to do it in, and you don't get the full life and background of that character.

From a writer's standpoint, each character and story presents its own unique challenges and delights. I'm deeply curious about all of my characters, and I love peeling away their layers to see what's underneath their skin, or secreted deep within their hearts.

As an actor, I like as much time with the material as possible and given the opportunity, time spent with the other actors in the scene. But that is a rare luxury in working in any TV series.

I feel I should never do passive characters. They don't work for me.

I can talk endlessly about characters, or why someone did this or that, and what that dynamic and interaction is. I really love it, and I think that actors really respond positively to the fact that I like to talk about that stuff, because I'm not sure that all directors do.

Every actor has to love and loathe the character he plays.

That's what I love about acting, is playing different roles. I want to work for the character, and not make it work for me.

I don't really ever think about whether or not I like the characters I'm playing. I'm more into the minutiae of their behaviour or what they're doing in a certain scene.

It's kind of up to the actor to deconstruct the scene and deconstruct the character and figure out how to make it real. That's what I love about this job: It's sort of a puzzle each time, and figuring that out is sort the key, whether I'm playing a cop or a killer.

If I'm doing my job as an actor, the audience knows everything I know about the character.

I love series television because it's so much fun to have that much opportunity to paint the character.

I don't categorize characters into one syllable. These are fully-rounded characters that I don't judge; I just play them.

I'd never thought much about a series, because I liked the idea of picking a script I liked with a character I thought I could sustain for an hour. In a series, you live with one character day in and day out - and you only hope it will be one that will not drive you crazy.

The characters, to me, in 'Homeland' are not one note in any way.

As an actor, you don't want to play a one-dimensional character.

My only problem is finding a way to play my fortieth fallen female in a different way from my thirty-ninth.

The thing I respond to the most is just great writing, interesting characters. I like to think that there is something fun about playing a character that has a lot of authority in her own life.

I try to create characters that I am fascinated by on some level or intrigued by or can't stand.