Everyone says to you, 'if you play Ophelia, you'll end up crazy,' but we're all somewhere on the spectrum of mental health, and I think that if you approach it that way it's not such an intimidating issue.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I think it's important to never play 'crazy' - you have to know what kind of crazy you're playing.
I always wanted to play a mental patient. I was fascinated with playing crazy people in college, and I don't know if I ever quite perfected it.
One of the advantages of appearing in such a play is that you begin to understand it properly, I feel Ophelia's tragedy was that she had been so used by everybody and felt that she bore a great burden of guilt.
Playing someone who has a mental illness, the responsibility to not stuff it up is really strong. You have to get it right. Not just for the people who are sufferers, but for the people who care about them - their loved ones.
It's all mental. I just have to worry about my game.
I think insanity is the hardest thing to play.
I think playing somebody who's schizophrenic is such a lesson as an actor. It gets you totally out of your comfort zone, because you can't rely on your technique, your external stuff. You've really gotta look inward, in a way.
In my case I don't mind playing a character that irritates people or makes people question my sanity.
You don't really ever think you're that crazy person you're playing.
When dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane.