If you really do want to be an actor who can satisfy himself and his audience, you need to be vulnerable. [You must] reach the emotional and intellectual level of ability where you can go out stark naked, emotionally, in front of an audience.
Jack LemmonEverything that is truly worthwhile - I think passion is involved in your approach to it. No matter what it is.
Jack LemmonIt's hard enough to write a good drama, it's much harder to write a good comedy, and it's hardest of all to write a drama with comedy. Which is what life is.
Jack LemmonSuccess is always somebody else's opinion of you; but it doesn't amount to a damn compared to your own opinion of yourself.
Jack LemmonPart of an actor's job is to actually adopt the world-view of the character she is playing and to tell the story from that vantage point. If an actor represses large aspects of their personality, they will have a severely limited range and castability. Great actors cultivate effortless access to their subpersonalities. Many acting teachers call this 'freeing your instrument.'
Jack Lemmon