Erland Josephson Quotes

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.

Auditioning and actually acting on a set are two different things. When you audition, you're in a room and you don't have anything to play with and you don't have anything physically in the room. Whereas on set, you have direction, you have costumes, and you have other actors to work with. It's a completely different thing.

You never learn to act in front of a camera. You never learn anything in front of a camera. But you learn to act in a rehearsal room with a good play and a good cast and a good director.

An actor will use every piece of information at their disposal, or a good actor will.

For any role, I pretty much always go to the script, first and foremost.

I'm the sort of actor who likes to talk about what we're going to do.

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

With acting, you wanna see if you can get into trouble without knowing how you're gonna get out of it. It's like the exact opposite of war, where you need an exit strategy. When you're acting, you should get all the way into trouble with no exit strategy, and have the cameras rolling.

As an actor, my main focus is finding good writing and attacking a good role.

I used to joke I was a point-and-click actor. My whole process has been about trusting your instincts and hitting your mark.

It's very good for me to remember what actors go through.

Working with actors is something I've never done before. I find it tremendous. It's hard work.

What's interesting about the process of acting is how often you don't know what you're doing.

All the things you can do to prepare for a role that free you, in the moment, are great. You have this muscle memory for things. You don't have to act it as much, once you've done it enough.

There is probably some great acting that goes on in movies from people who have never been on a stage, but if you are in for the long haul, you'd be missing an enormous part of what being an actor is if you're not part of theater.

I look at actors very closely. It's not an accident when the actors excel.

See, that's the thing: I'm not one of those actors who thinks, 'God, I've got to improvise and make it my own.' No, my first job as an actor is to take what's written and make it work. And then, if they want me to improvise, I'll do that.

When I do film, I really take on roles and I take on characters.

You try to pick good stories, and that's pretty much all the control you have as an actor.

So from an actor's perspective, you really have no idea how you're acting.

As a director, it is important to understand the actor's process.

I just happen to like the work. I like preparing for a role. I like reading. I like analyzing. I like literature. I like emotions. I like working with other actors.

Acting is reacting, and it's always easier to react when someone is doing a good job.

I don't think I would be a good actor! People enjoyed 'Dancing With the Stars' because I was myself, and every time they told me to say something, I would say my own words, so I don't think I could follow a script well!

Most of my training at graduate school was geared towards drama, so I feel good about it, and I can do it, but it requires a lot more work from me. I feel like with drama... well, with all acting, really, you need to honor the truth of the situation.