--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With any actor, if you know your…" description: "\"With any actor, if you know your character well enough, you'll know pretty much what he would say under any circumstance, or whatever situation might r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/denis-leary-1350_actor_with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-characte_1114282.png" --- # With any actor, if you know your character well enough… ![“With any actor, if you know your character well enough, you'll know pretty much what he would say under any circumstance, or whatever situation might rear its head.” quote by Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/denis-leary-1350_actor_with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-characte_1114282.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/denis-leary-1350_actor_with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-characte_1114282.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/denis-leary-1350_actor_with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-characte_1114282.png) > “With any actor, if you know your character well enough, you'll know pretty much what he would say under any circumstance, or whatever situation might rear its head.” [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding a character deeply lets you predict their reactions in any scenario. **In simple terms:** Knowing a role lets you anticipate dialogue. Key Takeaway Study characters thoroughly to anticipate behavior. Themes character study prediction acting empathy Mood analytical curious Type educational insightful When to use this quote - theatre rehearsals - film casting - improvisation workshops - character workshops - script analysis Key Concepts psychology method acting narrative analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle unexpected character choices? - What tools help you deepen character insight? A Different Perspective Complex characters may defy simple predictions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-know-314738/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Know Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-character-267929/) [Know Pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-pretty-299787/) [Ll Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ll-know-260069/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [Some like to start from the inside and then go to the outside. I'm the other type of actor. First, I have to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-huard/some-like-to-start-from-the-inside-and-then-go-to-the-outside-i-m-the/) [Patrick Huard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-huard/) > [I'm not the kind of actor that would know what my character had for breakfast last Tuesday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-m-not-the-kind-of-actor-that-would-know-what-my-character-had-for/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [I think a good actor will always know the character better than anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fede-alvarez/i-think-a-good-actor-will-always-know-the-character-better-than/) [Fede Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fede-alvarez/) > [Good actors, especially when they know their character, will come in and either tell you in advance that they have an idea, or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/good-actors-especially-when-they-know-their-character-will-come-in/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I know I have pretty good instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-know-i-have-pretty-good-instincts/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [I love women who have a strong sense of themselves because I know I have a pretty good idea of what I want out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-love-women-who-have-a-strong-sense-of-themselves-because-i-know-i/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I know I'm pretty, but I ain't as pretty as a couple of titties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/i-know-i-m-pretty-but-i-ain-t-as-pretty-as-a-couple-of-titties/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [“You know you're too pretty to cry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-medeiros/you-know-you-re-too-pretty-to-cry/) [Misha Medeiros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-medeiros/) > [“-I don't know that thin and pretty is what Nat is supposed to be, though. Does that make any sense?" If she'd been holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-o-neal/i-don-t-know-that-thin-and-pretty-is-what-nat-is-supposed-to-be/) [Barbara O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-o-neal/) > [That feeling when you know, you're pretty, clever, kind, etc. But there's still no one who would love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-feeling-when-you-know-you-re-pretty-clever-kind-etc-but-there-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You do not really know how pretty a girl is until you've met her, all the beauty lays in the personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-efron/you-do-not-really-know-how-pretty-a-girl-is-until-you-ve-met-her-all/) [Zac Efron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-efron/) > [I know pretty much all my analytics and I take that into consideration when I'm posting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-garcia/i-know-pretty-much-all-my-analytics-and-i-take-that-into/) [Ryan Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-garcia/) > [Do not tell me you don’t know you’re pretty. If so, I’m about to lose all faith in mankind. You don’t want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/do-not-tell-me-you-don-t-know-you-re-pretty-if-so-i-m-about-to-lose/) [J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/) > [I don't know her but she's pretty so I already hate her - girl logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-don-t-know-her-but-she-s-pretty-so-i-already-hate-her-girl-logic/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I know I'm not pretty.But at least I'm being myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine/i-know-i-m-not-pretty-but-at-least-i-m-being-myself/) [Jasmine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine/) ## More by Denis Leary > [I'm sick and tired of our generation being called the TV generation. What do you expect? We watched Lee Harvey Oswald get his brains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-m-sick-and-tired-of-our-generation-being-called-the-tv-generation/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [My father left Ireland because he did not want to muck horse manure for the rest of his life, and he wanted to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/my-father-left-ireland-because-he-did-not-want-to-muck-horse-manure/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I've eaten things that didn't complain this much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-ve-eaten-things-that-didn-t-complain-this-much/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [What I've learned is that life is too short and movies are too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/what-i-ve-learned-is-that-life-is-too-short-and-movies-are-too-long/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [Yeah, I love living in New York, man, and people who live in New York, we wear that fact like a badge right on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/yeah-i-love-living-in-new-york-man-and-people-who-live-in-new-york-we/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I've always had a thing for Catwoman. Michelle Pfeiffer or Halle Berry in tight leather pants, with the boots - I'm pretty good with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-ve-always-had-a-thing-for-catwoman-michelle-pfeiffer-or-halle-berry/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I spent a long time working in the movies to figure out that kind of acting and also how to write and produce for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-spent-a-long-time-working-in-the-movies-to-figure-out-that-kind-of/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I do have to say that I think that President Obama is the greatest President in the history of all of our Presidents, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-do-have-to-say-that-i-think-that-president-obama-is-the-greatest/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I don't want to see a 'Sopranos' movie. This is just me. I like to think the end is where it was on TV…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-don-t-want-to-see-a-sopranos-movie-this-is-just-me-i-like-to-think/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [The best comedy audiences in the country and this is tried and true, I'm not just saying it, in my opinion are Boston, Atlanta,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/the-best-comedy-audiences-in-the-country-and-this-is-tried-and-true-i/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [Happy Easter everyone! Jesus dies, comes back from the dead - and we get chocolate eggs. It's like turn-down service from God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/happy-easter-everyone-jesus-dies-comes-back-from-the-dead-and-we-get/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I believe in prescription drugs. I believe in feeling better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-believe-in-prescription-drugs-i-believe-in-feeling-better/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [You really want to have a back-up plan, so when you don't feel like acting, or you're getting older and settling down, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/you-really-want-to-have-a-back-up-plan-so-when-you-don-t-feel-like/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [You try to - you want to fly on both sides of the political fence because that's where the - where the comedy is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/you-try-to-you-want-to-fly-on-both-sides-of-the-political-fence/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I'm not really a Spider-Man fan. I'm more of a Batman guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-m-not-really-a-spider-man-fan-i-m-more-of-a-batman-guy/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) [Explore all 252 Denis Leary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With any actor, if you know your character well enough, you'll know pretty much what he would say under any circumstance, or whatever situation might rear its head.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Denis Leary" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-character-well-enough-you-ll-know/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-character-well-enough-you-ll-know/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/denis-leary-1350_actor_with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-characte_1114282.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/denis-leary-1350_actor_with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-characte_1114282.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/denis-leary-1350_actor_with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-characte_1114282.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“With any actor, if you know your character well enough, you'll know pretty much what he would say under any…” — Denis Leary", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Denis Leary", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "With any actor, if you know...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-character-well-enough-you-ll-know/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/with-any-actor-if-you-know-your-character-well-enough-you-ll-know/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```