---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was filming the death scene [in…"
description: "\"When I was filming the death scene [in Inglourious Basterds], and I'm killing somebody, I had to work myself up.\" — Eli Roth"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/eli-roth-2841_death_when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-in_1649515.jpg"
---

#  When I was filming the death scene \[in Inglourious…

![“When I was filming the death scene &#91;in Inglourious Basterds&#93;, and I'm killing somebody, I had to work myself up.” quote by Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/eli-roth-2841_death_when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-in_1649515.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/eli-roth-2841_death_when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-in_1649515.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/eli-roth-2841_death_when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-in_1649515.jpg)

> “When I was filming the death scene \[in Inglourious Basterds\], and I'm killing somebody, I had to work myself up.”

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Actors must psych themselves up to convincingly portray violent scenes.

**In simple terms:** Get into character before intense scenes.

Key Takeaway

Prepare mentally for demanding roles.

Themes

acting psychology performance

Mood

intense focused

Type

creative professional

When to use this quote

- theater productions
- film shoots
- stunt work
- high‑stress jobs

Key Concepts

Method acting emotional regulation

Questions to Reflect On

- What techniques help separate character from self?
- How do you recover after intense performances?

A Different Perspective

Over‑immersion may affect mental health.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Inglourious Basterds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inglourious-basterds/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/)

## Related quotes

> [Whatever's going on with me at the time of writing is going to find its way into the piece. If that doesn't happen, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/whatever-s-going-on-with-me-at-the-time-of-writing-is-going-to-find/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [I watched war films so that I have an understanding of what has already been done and what I could do in 'Paltan.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gurmeet-choudhary/i-watched-war-films-so-that-i-have-an-understanding-of-what-has/)

[Gurmeet Choudhary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gurmeet-choudhary/)

> [“CHAPTER 2: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS ALDO THE APACHE My name is Lt. Aldo Raine and I'm putting together a special team, and I need me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/chapter-2-inglourious-basterds-aldo-the-apache-my-name-is-lt-aldo/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [Since many people have been asking me to elaborate on why I think "Inglourious Basterds" is akin to Holocaust denial, I'll try to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-rosenbaum/since-many-people-have-been-asking-me-to-elaborate-on-why-i-think/)

[Jonathan Rosenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-rosenbaum/)

> [For me, it was a lot of pressure to make another movie after 'Inglourious Basterds' because I didn't want to do something wrong. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-laurent/for-me-it-was-a-lot-of-pressure-to-make-another-movie-after/)

[Melanie Laurent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-laurent/)

> [Energetic, inventive, swaggering fun, Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds is a consummate Hollywood entertainment--rich in fantasy and blithely amoral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-hoberman/energetic-inventive-swaggering-fun-quentin-tarantino-s-inglourious/)

J. Hoberman

> [Even Christoph Waltz's character, Colonel Landa in 'Inglourious Basterds', I never judged him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/even-christoph-waltz-s-character-colonel-landa-in-inglourious/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [I was writing a film criticism book on Sergio Corbucci, the director who did the original Django. So, I was kind of getting immersed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-was-writing-a-film-criticism-book-on-sergio-corbucci-the-director/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [I was massively jealous but also excited when Tarantino did Inglourious Basterds, I'm a huge guys on a mission fan. Those kind of movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/i-was-massively-jealous-but-also-excited-when-tarantino-did/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [My death scene in 'The Salton Sea' is really weird. I mean, I get shot in the head. What experience can you possibly draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chandra-west/my-death-scene-in-the-salton-sea-is-really-weird-i-mean-i-get-shot-in/)

Chandra West

> [I invented this wonderful death scene for Javert of going down on my knees and then leaning back like a limbo dancer to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-allam/i-invented-this-wonderful-death-scene-for-javert-of-going-down-on-my/)

[Roger Allam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-allam/)

> [I've done quite a lot of dying on shows and in movies. To have a good death scene though - come on, it's brilliant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/i-ve-done-quite-a-lot-of-dying-on-shows-and-in-movies-to-have-a-good/)

[Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/)

> [Yeah, I get a death scene, but what does that mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/yeah-i-get-a-death-scene-but-what-does-that-mean/)

[J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/)

> [“As far as plans went, it was like facing the zombie apocalypse with a nail file and a bag of Skittles. It might work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-stevens/as-far-as-plans-went-it-was-like-facing-the-zombie-apocalypse-with-a/)

[E.J. Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-stevens/)

> [The thing is, I love a great death scene - no good actor doesn't. Sorry, any actor, I should say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-gregg/the-thing-is-i-love-a-great-death-scene-no-good-actor-doesn-t-sorry/)

[Clark Gregg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-gregg/)

## More by Eli Roth

> [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [Twitter is wonderful. You can kill rumours instantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/twitter-is-wonderful-you-can-kill-rumours-instantly/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [Shooting at Quentin Tarantino movie was like a masterclass in directing. Although I went back literally right into rehearsal, started shooting... while I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/shooting-at-quentin-tarantino-movie-was-like-a-masterclass-in/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [I need to eliminate 'like' from my vocabulary. I begin sentences with, 'That's seriously like ' I hear myself talking in this Los Angeles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-need-to-eliminate-like-from-my-vocabulary-i-begin-sentences-with/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [ I started the film \[Hostel Part II\]with the girls in an art class and there's a nude male model. People think that women are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-started-the-film-hostel-part-ii-with-the-girls-in-an-art-class-and/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [I have so many different projects, I hear voices in my head - the characters talking all at once - and I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-have-so-many-different-projects-i-hear-voices-in-my-head-the/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [I'd love to see us get to a point where you can make a movie and not worry about the limits of the violence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-d-love-to-see-us-get-to-a-point-where-you-can-make-a-movie-and-not/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [A comedy can actually get funnier and funnier. Even though you know the joke, you enjoy it so much, it's the facial expression, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/a-comedy-can-actually-get-funnier-and-funnier-even-though-you-know/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [The point of the first one was that it was about guys being lured by sex and the stereotypes... I always say it's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/the-point-of-the-first-one-was-that-it-was-about-guys-being-lured-by/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [I've always dreamed of having a year-round haunted house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-dreamed-of-having-a-year-round-haunted-house/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [Look at comic books. It used to be something that only geeks were into. And now it's everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/look-at-comic-books-it-used-to-be-something-that-only-geeks-were-into/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [I was listening to music to kind of pump myself up and get psyched up, like I was listening to Iron Maiden and Misfits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-was-listening-to-music-to-kind-of-pump-myself-up-and-get-psyched-up/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [One of the great elements of the supernatural is having that mystery and letting people's imaginations run wild with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/one-of-the-great-elements-of-the-supernatural-is-having-that-mystery/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [If you are having fun on the set, you are not getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/if-you-are-having-fun-on-the-set-you-are-not-getting-things-done/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [I hear what people say, I read all the reviews, all the blogs, and I am always curious to hear it, because you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-hear-what-people-say-i-read-all-the-reviews-all-the-blogs-and-i-am/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

[Explore all 148 Eli Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

J. Anthony Torino

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

Alan W. Powers

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I was filming the death scene [in Inglourious Basterds], and I'm killing somebody, I had to work myself up.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eli Roth"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-inglourious-basterds-and-i-m/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-inglourious-basterds-and-i-m/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/eli-roth-2841_death_when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-in_1649515.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/eli-roth-2841_death_when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-in_1649515.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/eli-roth-2841_death_when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-in_1649515.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I was filming the death scene [in Inglourious Basterds], and I'm killing somebody, I had to work myself…” — Eli Roth",
                "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": "Eli Roth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I was filming the death...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-inglourious-basterds-and-i-m/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/when-i-was-filming-the-death-scene-in-inglourious-basterds-and-i-m/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
