--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you play a character that is so…" description: "\"When you play a character that is so emotionally closed there are times when you ask yourself if you are doing enough and if it's reading. That is wher..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fe/gary-oldman-3797_ask-yourself_when-you-play-a-character-that-is-so-emo_2700780.jpg" --- # When you play a character that is so emotionally closed… ![“When you play a character that is so emotionally closed there are times when you ask yourself if you are doing enough and if it's reading. That is where you have a director, who is the barometer of what you are doing.” quote by Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fe/gary-oldman-3797_ask-yourself_when-you-play-a-character-that-is-so-emo_2700780.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fe/gary-oldman-3797_ask-yourself_when-you-play-a-character-that-is-so-emo_2700780.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fe/gary-oldman-3797_ask-yourself_when-you-play-a-character-that-is-so-emo_2700780.jpg) > “When you play a character that is so emotionally closed there are times when you ask yourself if you are doing enough and if it's reading. That is where you have a director, who is the barometer of what you are doing.” [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes the need for a director to gauge an actor’s emotional performance, acting as a barometer to ensure the work feels authentic and effective. **In simple terms:** A director measures an actor’s emotional depth. Key Takeaway Trust the director’s feedback. Themes acting direction emotional honesty Mood reflective professional Type creative collaborative When to use this quote - theatre rehearsals - film sets - acting workshops Key Concepts Performance metrics creative collaboration self‑assessment Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance self‑evaluation with external feedback? - When should an actor trust their own instincts? A Different Perspective Relying solely on a director may limit personal artistic growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“You’re not the kind of person to just randomly fall in love. 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You get used to being a person on camera, and when you move on, the character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rana-daggubati/getting-out-of-a-character-is-emotionally-taxing-you-get-used-to/) [Rana Daggubati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rana-daggubati/) > [Your own barometer is all you have to go by, and often what makes a good director is knowing when not to say something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/your-own-barometer-is-all-you-have-to-go-by-and-often-what-makes-a/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [Day by day. No yesterdays and no tomorrows. 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Without them we wouldn't have got Osama bin Laden - it took us years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/there-will-always-be-spies-we-have-to-have-them-without-them-we/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [On set I keep myself to myself; I'd rather the director speak up. I'm not gonna direct a younger actor. I think the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/on-set-i-keep-myself-to-myself-i-d-rather-the-director-speak-up-i-m/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [I've got kids of my own now, and they love me being in the Harry Potter films. I'm now part of a phenomenon. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/i-ve-got-kids-of-my-own-now-and-they-love-me-being-in-the-harry/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) [Explore all 122 Gary Oldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) ## More Ask yourself quotes > [“If you want to stop smoking, ask yourself, do you do it because you love nicotine, or because it provides a burst of stimulation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/if-you-want-to-stop-smoking-ask-yourself-do-you-do-it-because-you/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“I've written about persistence and perseverance and yet for those of us with patchwork lives (projects, earnings, caretaking, home-tending, playing, friending, loving, celebrating, hurting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shellen-lubin/i-ve-written-about-persistence-and-perseverance-and-yet-for-those-of/) [Shellen Lubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shellen-lubin/) > [When you experience difficulty at work or in your life, instead of looking back on it as something that was really challenging, look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-ghosn/when-you-experience-difficulty-at-work-or-in-your-life-instead-of/) [Caroline Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-ghosn/) > [“ask yourself how many people you have met who grumbled at a thing as incurable, and how many who attacked it as curable? 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How many things in life have you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drishti-bablani/when-a-bad-experience-shakes-your-faith-in-humanity-hold-those/) [Drishti Bablani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drishti-bablani/) > [“It is important you understand how fear affects you and how it drives human behavior so you can start to see situations and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-giles/it-is-important-you-understand-how-fear-affects-you-and-how-it-drives/) [Kimberly Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-giles/) > [“It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/it-is-idle-to-talk-always-of-the-alternative-of-reason-and-faith/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Picture your life exactly the way you want it and then ask yourself, am I doing the things that will take me there? 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