Sam Heughan Quotes

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

I demanded two weeks of rehearsal because to me as an actor, that's the most important time.

In acting, one should look at the film in totality. Improvisations should only be made keeping in mind the limits of a character. Always believe in team work.

As an actor, you create a character from your understanding of what you have heard and your observations. Eventually, every film is an extension of the images that I have seen or what I have heard or read somewhere.

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

In choosing any role, I ask the same questions: what kind of part is it? is the role challenging? does the director have a vision? is the story moving? etc.

My mentor Jon Simmons introduced me to the Stanislavski system, which is so heavy on back-story. So you write and write and write these back stories about a character and then you throw it away. So then on set, if it doesn't come, then you didn't do your work.

I don't really prepare for each role the same way.

Basically, the way you get into any role is just doing research on the type of character you're playing.

As an actor, I like to get a bit of momentum going with a character and kind of work a bit quicker. I mean, not crazy-fast, but, you know, five or six pages a day is a nice pace.

I mean, a lot of time rehearsals are taken up with other things other than preparing a character.

With any actor, if you know your character well enough, you'll know pretty much what he would say under any circumstance, or whatever situation might rear its head.

Part of an actor's job is to draw up a back story.

In every film, whether it's a fictional character or not, you create an idea of the character and for me I always do a bad impersonation to start with.

The thrill of acting is the discovery part, so it all changes, but it has to change in a way that fits what is written. You can't just wander off and get interested in your own tangent.

I don't think I've ever watched a movie to prepare for a role.

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

It's part of the actor's job to show up with a head full of steam, to have their own take on this. So that way, you're not relying on, 'OK, tell me how to do it.'

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

You make a decision whether you just work on the script and believe in every moment and pick out every moment, or if you sit down and memorize lines. Once you really dig into a script, learning lines becomes almost second nature.

I was amazed by the kind of preparation Hollywood actors do for their roles.

My preparation is mainly just knowing the lines and getting in and knowing where your character is, knowing what it's about and having ideas that you can put in on the day.

It's always a mystery when you're going into a role - 'Here's your wife of 40 years and... action!' How do you create ease or chemistry or whatever is supposed to exist?

I think that different actors go about their preparation differently, but when it comes to acting, I use my imagination.

I'm a technician. I don't go for the get-into-the-role stuff. I read the lines and play the scenes.