Bill Nighy Quotes

Acting is all about big hair and funny props... All the great actors knew it. Olivier knew it, Brando knew it.

I entertain for a living and I role-play for a living, and I can't help but continue to do it.

I'm a performer. I'm pretending to be someone else. I'm not putting my own self into the show every night.

I like to play the comic relief or parts that aren't necessarily comedic but that I can find the comedy in.

I try to shy away from playing cranky people, but if it's just a funny next-door neighbor or business man, I'll say, 'Sure, why not?'

As an actor, it's always fun when you're able to feel like there's freedom to explore things and try out jokes and be funny.

The only two characters I can play convincingly are myself and a dumber and sweeter version of myself.

I've always been an actor. That's my job — I can be anything you want me to be.

When you take on different roles and become a different person, that's called acting ... It's a challenge.

I do play all the characters, when I write them, one after another. If they actually had to film me, the only one I could play would be Samwell Tarly or Hot Pie.

You can equate acting to a tennis game: When you're playing one of the best, you get better.

You're just playing a role, whether it's a drama or a comedy. I find it really fun to sort of play opposite Uma.

I get cast gay a fair amount throughout my life. It's not the first time. Matt [Letscher] was kind of like, 'Jeff, um, I'm gonna pretend this is real easy and not a problem, but I've never done this at all.' And so you know, we were awkward for a while. And then he said, 'Let's go for it. Come on. I'm gonna pretend you're my girlfriend, my wife. Here we go.' And we had a lot of fun.

I would compare it to an actor. I drive myself into the character that later on is in the ring.

I don't know how to put on an act; I always show myself for what I am, in whatever mood I'm in.

I never really took any acting classes. I'm just a natural ham, I guess.

Even my life's not normal because I'm acting, right?

The study of acting consists in the main of getting out of one’s own way, and in learning to deal with uncertainty and being comfortable being uncomfortable.

As an actor, you're used to putting on characters, taking them off, becoming someone else, doing your research, and working on that.

I played a role. That is what actors do. But I played it too well. I went too far. And by the time I wanted to stop, to take a bow and leave the stage, it was too late.

There's obviously some appeal in scenes for me - there's something I respond to. I keep doing those films where I put myself out there like that. I guess I look for those kinds of moments and I pride myself on being an actor who will do just about anything for a laugh - so long as it's within context of the scene in the movie and it's not gratuitous. I have to feel it'll make people laugh.

Ah, nuts. I'm an actor. I just do what comes naturally.

People watch me when I get into these characters that I have in my head, so perhaps I should try acting. So I did.

We play different people - our art form is performance art - so unless you're playing the same type of person, I don't know if you could improve or make it worse.

I wanted to be an actor. Maybe a comic actor, but an actor. That's what got me into acting was putting on an act, because in life, I wasn't funny and I felt on stage or in the movies, I could do whatever I wanted to. I was free.