Derek Cianfrance Quotes

The wonderful thing about theater as an art form is it's a purely empirical art form. It's all about what works. And every show, every production, is created anew right from the moment you go into the rehearsal hall.

One of the exciting and enjoyable aspects of acting is being in the environment with another actor.

The interesting thing about doing a play is to find a way to make it fresh and do it as though you were doing it for the first time.

I want to do more theater, which allows you to take bigger risks and experiment.

As an actor, you have to be open to doing things where you look stupid, to be experimental.

I like doing a lot of research, and then you get there, you're in wardrobe, and then you're just reacting to what the other person is doing. The other actor is reacting to what you're doing, and it's this great back and forth. Because you've done all this research, you can use some of it or throw a lot of it out. You can get lost in it.

I'm someone who started in the theater and really couldn't stand repeating the show. My favorite part of acting is the five or six weeks of rehearsal that you get. I like doing previews; I like the opening week because my friends and family come, and then after that, I don't want to do it anymore.

In theater acting, you leave that night and what it was is what it was.

When I call 'Action,' I love to be surprised. And the actors I've been fortunate enough to work with always surprise me in the best ways.

As rewarding as a good film role can be, there is just nothing like getting up on a stage and taking an audience for a ride.

What you learn from studying acting is that you have to have the courage to just make strong choices.

As an actor, I'm always up for exploring and trying new things.

Acting is the most communicative thing I can imagine doing.

Acting is an imaginative leap, really, isn't it? And imaginations prosper in different circumstances.

As an actor, you don't know what is going to come next.

Theater is a way to keep challenging myself.

On some level, acting is the art of pretend, and you have to have a highly cultivated sense of imagination. You have to be able to see things that aren't there, no matter what aspect of acting, whether it's green screen, whether it's on stage, whether it's anything else, whether you're working on the radio.

So what's so enticing about doing a play is that you get to do that thing that got you into acting in the first place... There's a real attraction to being able to play, to just play. And that's something that theater affords you.

To be a good actor you have to be something like a criminal, to be willing to break the rules to strive for something new.

I have, I think to do a play a year is very good if you can afford the time and the energy because it's difficult to do, it's really the actors medium of course, because you're really out there and nobody's yelling cut so, yeah I have.

Improv is a very big thing for me. The thing with actors is I do not understand at all how they do what they do. I'm fascinated by it, and I have such a respect for it.

You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you do, and there's not a lot of waiting around and interruption and not a lot of money involved - sometimes money really clouds the waters of creativity.

Know your lines; otherwise, have an open mind because you want to get lost in the moment. When you have talented actors and directors to work with, then it's pretty easy to do.

The immediacy of improvisation is intoxicating, but there's an intimacy that you get that's very different when you're doing drama.

As an actor, the only thing you have is your instinct and your imagination.