At the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, Sanford Meisner said, 'When you go into the professional world, at a stock theatre somewhere, backstage, you will meet an older actor, someone who has been around awhile. He will tell you tales and anecdotes, about life in the theatre. He will speak to you about your performance and the performances of others, and he will generalize to you, based on his experience and his intuitions, about the laws of the stage. Ignore this man!'
David MametYou know, young actors say all the time, 'Should I use my own life experience?' And my response is, 'What choice do you have?'
David MametThere is no such thing as character other than the habitual action, as Mr. Aristotle told us two thousand years ago.
David MametHitchcock denigrated American films, saying they were all 'pictures of people talking' - as, indeed, most of them are.
David MametIt is the writerโs job to make the play interesting. It is the actorโs job to make the performance truthful.
David Mamet