--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As actors, we went where we wanted to…" description: "\"As actors, we went where we wanted to, and the camera followed us: it was like having another person in the room. There was no formal structure to the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/emily-watson-21265_actors_as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and_700816.jpg" --- # As actors, we went where we wanted to, and the camera… ![“As actors, we went where we wanted to, and the camera followed us: it was like having another person in the room. There was no formal structure to the process. It was very liberating.” quote by Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/emily-watson-21265_actors_as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and_700816.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/emily-watson-21265_actors_as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and_700816.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/emily-watson-21265_actors_as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and_700816.jpg) > “As actors, we went where we wanted to, and the camera followed us: it was like having another person in the room. There was no formal structure to the process. It was very liberating.” [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Improvisation and freedom in acting arise when formal constraints are removed, allowing spontaneous creativity. **In simple terms:** Freedom boosts creativity. Key Takeaway Allow spontaneity in work. Themes creativity freedom improvisation artistic expression Mood liberating playful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - theatre rehearsals - improv workshops - creative brainstorming - film directing Key Concepts theatre performance art psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does structure affect your creative process? - When do you need guidelines? A Different Perspective Lack of structure can cause chaos or inconsistency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [“Followed like a goat on a halter, hungry dog closing on his just-filled dinner bowl, water-bottle and towel carrier behind the tuba section of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-vickers/followed-like-a-goat-on-a-halter-hungry-dog-closing-on-his-just/) [Dennis Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-vickers/) > [Live television drama was like live theater, because you moved without thinking about the camera. It followed you around. In film you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fletcher/live-television-drama-was-like-live-theater-because-you-moved-without/) [Louise Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fletcher/) > [“There was a time when actors went in at the back door. Most of them still should.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-was-a-time-when-actors-went-in-at-the-back-door-most-of-them/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [There's a whole catalogue of actors that never went to acting school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-farina/there-s-a-whole-catalogue-of-actors-that-never-went-to-acting-school/) [Dennis Farina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-farina/) > [It was very liberating, living in a foreign country, a place where everything was new and strange - the food, the customs, the climate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/it-was-very-liberating-living-in-a-foreign-country-a-place-where/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [It's one of the most liberating things I experience in writing - letting yourself get rid of a gesture or character or plot point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/it-s-one-of-the-most-liberating-things-i-experience-in-writing/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [My guess is that liberating the fossil fuel industry to frack anywhere they want will drive down the rate at which we're converting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/my-guess-is-that-liberating-the-fossil-fuel-industry-to-frack/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“From this point forward, you don’t even know how to quit in life.” ~ Aaron Lauritsen, ‘100 Days Drive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-lauritsen/from-this-point-forward-you-don-t-even-know-how-to-quit-in-life-aaron/) [Aaron Lauritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-lauritsen/) > [For all the claims one hears about the liberating impact of the data-net, the truth is that it's wished on most of us a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brunner/for-all-the-claims-one-hears-about-the-liberating-impact-of-the-data/) [John Brunner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brunner/) > [“After tough workouts where we pushed ourselves to the limit over and over, it was liberating to be rid of any apprehension about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-johnson-foreword-feed-zone-portables/after-tough-workouts-where-we-pushed-ourselves-to-the-limit-over-and/) Tim Johnson Foreword- Feed Zone Portables > [“There’s something about being by the ocean that is so liberating. It cleanses your mind and breathes life back into parts of you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacey-london/there-s-something-about-being-by-the-ocean-that-is-so-liberating-it/) [Lacey London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacey-london/) > [I found it liberating to sing on camera. On stage, you have to indicate having a thought, and the word you are singing must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/i-found-it-liberating-to-sing-on-camera-on-stage-you-have-to-indicate/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Being a geek is extremely liberating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/being-a-geek-is-extremely-liberating/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [Yesterday's truth is today's bullshit. Even yesterday's liberating insight is today's jail of stale explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-blanton/yesterday-s-truth-is-today-s-bullshit-even-yesterday-s-liberating/) [Brad Blanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-blanton/) ## More by Emily Watson > [In my early career I was like a goldfish. Rejection didn't affect me; I'd just forget how bad it was and keep going back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/in-my-early-career-i-was-like-a-goldfish-rejection-didn-t-affect-me-i/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [I was a normal, rather dutiful child. I didn't even rebel as a teenager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/i-was-a-normal-rather-dutiful-child-i-didn-t-even-rebel-as-a-teenager/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [You have to play the logic of a character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/you-have-to-play-the-logic-of-a-character/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [I am surrounded by people who love me I AM THE ONE THEY NEVER SEE They look to me for advice THEY COULD NEVER…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/i-am-surrounded-by-people-who-love-me-i-am-the-one-they-never-see/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [When the time came to make a decision about what do in life, I found myself thinking that acting was the thing I loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/when-the-time-came-to-make-a-decision-about-what-do-in-life-i-found/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [I don't think I will be less good because there's less pressure on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/i-don-t-think-i-will-be-less-good-because-there-s-less-pressure-on-me/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [It's an incredible privilege for an actor to look into the camera. It's like looking right into the heart of the film, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/it-s-an-incredible-privilege-for-an-actor-to-look-into-the-camera-it/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [When I did get home this last time, we had all these plans to go out. And then we hardly stepped outside because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/when-i-did-get-home-this-last-time-we-had-all-these-plans-to-go-out/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [I do think you feel a little bit like you are preying on people's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/i-do-think-you-feel-a-little-bit-like-you-are-preying-on-people-s/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [My husband. He keeps me grounded. If I were in the world on my own, it would all be much more seductive. But I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/my-husband-he-keeps-me-grounded-if-i-were-in-the-world-on-my-own-it/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [Friends always say you don't realise how robust your baby is until you drop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/friends-always-say-you-don-t-realise-how-robust-your-baby-is-until/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [Please, please, please - I would love to do some comedy. Once you have a reputation for one thing - in my case, crying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/please-please-please-i-would-love-to-do-some-comedy-once-you-have-a/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [I think so, Silence of the Lambs was a great, suspenseful thriller and I would expect Red Dragon to be similar. And I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/i-think-so-silence-of-the-lambs-was-a-great-suspenseful-thriller-and/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [I grew up without a television. It meant that I read lots of books and entertained myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/i-grew-up-without-a-television-it-meant-that-i-read-lots-of-books-and/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [It's a whole different kind of anxiety. But the great thing about doing a theatre job is that once the ball starts rolling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/it-s-a-whole-different-kind-of-anxiety-but-the-great-thing-about/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) [Explore all 29 Emily Watson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) ## More Actors quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/) [Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [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/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [A rapper is about being completely true to yourself. Being an actor is about changing who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/a-rapper-is-about-being-completely-true-to-yourself-being-an-actor-is/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [I've been a professional actor for almost 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-ve-been-a-professional-actor-for-almost-40-years/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [American actors are coy. We all have pricks and cunts, or are you different from the rest of us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/american-actors-are-coy-we-all-have-pricks-and-cunts-or-are-you/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) [Browse all 11,394 Actors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As actors, we went where we wanted to, and the camera followed us: it was like having another person in the room. There was no formal structure to the process. It was very liberating.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emily Watson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and-the-camera-followed-us-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and-the-camera-followed-us-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/emily-watson-21265_actors_as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and_700816.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/emily-watson-21265_actors_as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and_700816.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/emily-watson-21265_actors_as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and_700816.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As actors, we went where we wanted to, and the camera followed us: it was like having another person in the…” — Emily Watson", "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": "Emily Watson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As actors, we went where we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and-the-camera-followed-us-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/as-actors-we-went-where-we-wanted-to-and-the-camera-followed-us-it/#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 } } ] } ```