A lot of actors talk about doing their homework, but very few of them do it.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
On paper, actors are the dumbest group of individuals essentially out there. Most of us have not gone to college. However, we never stop learning. Because of what we do, we're constantly researching, constantly learning.
I give myself homework when I have an audition. I give myself goals, and that's how I check how I'm doing. It can be something simple like 'listen,' or 'find your feet.' And then afterward it's an assessment, so in a way it's not about booking the job or not. It's about what I learned as an actor about that character.
As an actor, you know there are things you get asked to do that you do quite well, with less effort.
We actors are superstitious creatures. We do all the homework, and we put all of the components together, but there's always one key aspect that we're not in charge of, really, and that's magic. You are always on the lookout for where and how that magic is going to ignite.
Today some actors get a little full of themselves about what they're doing.
I think the writing skills of actors are sometimes underestimated.
Actors always think that others are getting more work than them. In my case, they usually are.
A lot of actors never talk to other actors about how they're doing things, or why. I think it's important to share the way you're thinking.
Everybody does their homework, and we all come together and just knock it out. There are adjustments to make, and if you have actors who are collaborators and who really know how to listen and be in the scene together, than it works out beautifully.
Actors don't need a lot of talk beyond the first few sentences. They may say they don't draw on their own life, but all actors do.