Acting

Quotations about Acting

Using Quotations in a Speech or Text about Acting

As well as keeping your audience engaged, adding quotations to a speech or a text can significantly enhance its impact and effectiveness. Quotations are useful for explaining complex ideas concisely, much in the same way that analogies are used. Additionally, quotations from experts or celebrities can add credibility to your message.

Here are some funny and poignant quotations about acting. If your speech is serious, do not automatically avoid funny quotations as they can often be the most impactful, forcing your audience into the thinking about the hidden analogous message in your selected quotation.

"Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious." (British actor Peter Ustinov)
"When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth." (Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw)

If you are looking to make a fuller speech about acting, then below this selection of quotations are three funny themes and three serious themes on the topic of acting that might help trigger some ideas for your speech or text.

"Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made." George Burns (American comedian, 1896-1996)

"Acting is like lying. The art of lying well. I'm paid to tell elaborate lies." Mel Gibson (American actor, 1956-)

"Just let the *wardrobe*brain*dog* do the acting." Jack Nicholson (American actor, 1937-)

"I know very little about acting. I'm just an incredibly gifted faker." Robert Downey, Jr. (American actor, 1965-)

"Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there." Meryl Streep (American actress, 1949-)

"Use what you know. Don't worry about what you don't know." Michael Shurtleff (American author, 1920-2007)

An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of *words.*flesh.*mince.* Sanford Meisner (American actor, 1905-1997)

"Show me a great actor and I'll show you a lousy husband. Show me a great actress, and you've seen the devil." W. C. Fields (American humorist, 1880-1946)

My only regret in the theatre is that I could never sit out front and watch *me.*the TV.*the orchestra.* John Barrymore (American actor, 1882-1942)

"Nobody thought Mel Gibson could play a Scot but look at him now! Alcoholic and a racist!" Frankie Boyle (British comedian, 1972-)

"You were the first person I thought of to play a chimpanzee." Tim Burton (American film director, 1958-) asking Helena Bonham Carter to star in Planet of the Apes

"Dear Ingrid, speaks five languages and can't act in any of them." John Gielgud (English actor, 1904-2000) talking about Ingrid Bergman

"People like to hear me say *'shit'*prayers*'howdy'* in my gorgeous voice." John Gielgud (English actor, 1904-2000) explaining why he was popular in America

"She was good at playing abstract confusion in the same way that a midget is good at being short." Clive James (Australian critic and writer, 1939-) talking about Marilyn Monroe

"There were three things that Chico was always on – a phone, a horse or a broad." Groucho Marx (American film comedian, 1890-1977)

"Which is he playing now?" W. Somerset Maugham (English novelist, 1874-1965) watching Spencer Tracy on the set of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1941)

"Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised." Roger Moore (English actor, 1927-) summarizing his acting range

Through it all, I have remained consistently and nauseatingly adorable. In fact, I have been known to cause *diabetes.*earthquakes.*car crashes.* Meg Ryan (American actress, 1961-)

"For an actress to be a success, she must have the face of a Venus, the brains of a Minerva, the grace of Terpsichore, the memory of a Macaulay, the figure of Juno, and the hide of a rhinoceros." Ethel Barrymore (American actress, 1879-1959)

An actor is a kind of a guy who if you ain't talking about him ain't *listening.*there.*playing.* George Glass (American film producer, 1910-84)

"When you do Shakespeare, they think you must be intelligent because they think you understand what you're saying." Helen Mirren (English actress, 1945-)

"Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing." Ralph Richardson (English actor, 1902-83)

"Talk low, talk slow, and don't say much." John Wayne (American actor, 1907-79)

"Acting is like *sex.*playing cards.*visiting your parents.* You should do it, not talk about it." Joanne Woodward (American actress, 1930-)

Thinking Template for a Speech or Text on Acting

Below are 3 funny themes and 3 serious themes related to acting. These have been included to help you identify areas to explore.

Funny Themes:

The Audition Process: Tales of Triumph and Hilarity
- Share amusing and exaggerated stories from audition rooms, including unexpected mishaps, bizarre requests from casting directors, and the lengths actors go to stand out.
Backstage Antics: Behind the Curtain Chaos
- Highlight the funny and chaotic moments that happen backstage during live performances, from quick costume changes to forgotten lines and unexpected improvisations.
Method Acting Gone Too Far
- Explore the humorous side of actors taking method acting to the extreme, with anecdotes of actors staying in character off-stage and the reactions of those around them.

Serious Themes:

The Power of Performance: Acting as a Tool for Social Change
- Discuss how acting and theater can be powerful mediums for addressing social issues, raising awareness, and inspiring change in society.
Mental Health in the Acting Profession
- Address the mental health challenges actors face, including performance anxiety, the pressure of public scrutiny, and the importance of mental health resources and support systems.
The Evolution of Acting Techniques: From Classical to Contemporary
- Explore the development of acting techniques over time, comparing classical methods with modern approaches, and how these techniques influence performances today.

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