--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Actors always want to know how I come up…" description: "\"“Actors always want to know how I come up with interesting and creative takes on characters, characters that aren’t like me as I appear in daily life a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/harold-guskin-110597_creativity_actors-always-want-to-know-how-i-come-up_2989736.jpg" --- # Actors always want to know how I come up with interesting… ![“Actors always want to know how I come up with interesting and creative takes on characters, characters that aren’t like me as I appear in daily life and that aren’t like each other. It’s simple: I let the lines and images connect with my imagination. I don’t worry about consistency; I let myself…” quote by Harold Guskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/harold-guskin-110597_creativity_actors-always-want-to-know-how-i-come-up_2989736.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/harold-guskin-110597_creativity_actors-always-want-to-know-how-i-come-up_2989736.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/harold-guskin-110597_creativity_actors-always-want-to-know-how-i-come-up_2989736.jpg) > ““Actors always want to know how I come up with interesting and creative takes on characters, characters that aren’t like me as I appear in daily life and that aren’t like each other. It’s simple: I let the lines and images connect with my imagination. I don’t worry about consistency; I let myself respond moment by moment, piecemeal, to the character’s dialogue and actions. Then I let my responses take me wherever they go, making mistakes and discarding them until choices start repeating themselves on their own no matter how arbitrary they seem at first. Then I know I’m on to something. But I don’t try to put the character together. I leave it in pieces. The script and story put the character together so my moment by moment performance seems like a creative take on the whole character.”” [Harold Guskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-guskin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes spontaneous, imaginative connection to character, allowing improvisation and mistakes to shape performance. **In simple terms:** Let imagination guide you, not strict consistency. Key Takeaway Stay present and let improvisation shape your art. Themes creativity improvisation acting Mood artistic experimental Type Creativity:1 Daily life:0 Life:0 Making mistakes:1 Time:0 Actors Want:1 Character Dialogue:1 Creative Takes:1 Takes Characters:0 Creative Character:1 When to use this quote - theatre rehearsal - film acting - creative writing Key Concepts character development imagination process Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance spontaneity with story continuity? - When does a mistake become a breakthrough? A Different Perspective Too much improvisation can lose narrative coherence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors-want/) [Character Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-dialogue-484995/) [Creative Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-character-4692054/) [Creative Takes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-takes-2948900/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Daily life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Takes Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takes-characters-3869203/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We're all born creative, it takes a little while to become afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/we-re-all-born-creative-it-takes-a-little-while-to-become-afraid/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I think people are sexy when they have a sense of humor, when they are smart, when they have some sense of style, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/i-think-people-are-sexy-when-they-have-a-sense-of-humor-when-they-are/) [Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/) > [The great thing about 'X-Men' is that it takes characters that are quite firmly established in the comics and puts them in new contexts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-helman/the-great-thing-about-x-men-is-that-it-takes-characters-that-are/) [Josh Helman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-helman/) > [One of the reasons I never had a problem handing over my characters to other creators is that I knew that they would add…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/one-of-the-reasons-i-never-had-a-problem-handing-over-my-characters/) [Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/) > [I'm interested in character and dialogue and exchange of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/i-m-interested-in-character-and-dialogue-and-exchange-of-ideas/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [It's through the voice that I tend to figure out the character (and through dialogue that I come to understand other characters).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-wayne/it-s-through-the-voice-that-i-tend-to-figure-out-the-character-and/) [Teddy Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-wayne/) > [When you think about the person responsible for creating the character and the dialogue, Bill Monahan, who's a Boston guy, obviously, his words roll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/when-you-think-about-the-person-responsible-for-creating-the/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [When you write a character and their dialogue, you can't help imagining how you would be acting if you were them. You kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/when-you-write-a-character-and-their-dialogue-you-can-t-help/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [Sometimes insight into character and dialogue means being silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/sometimes-insight-into-character-and-dialogue-means-being-silent/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [The rule of thumb for a director or producer - which prevents them from just sticking their names on everything - is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/the-rule-of-thumb-for-a-director-or-producer-which-prevents-them-from/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [To this day, I get rewrite offers where they say: 'We feel this script needs work with character, dialogue, plot and tone,' and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sayles/to-this-day-i-get-rewrite-offers-where-they-say-we-feel-this-script/) [John Sayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sayles/) > [There's a point I can get to where I start writing character and then through the dialogue, after all of this preparation, the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/there-s-a-point-i-can-get-to-where-i-start-writing-character-and-then/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [People become actors because they want to hide, and it's not easy to talk about myself. I accept that a certain responsibility goes with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smits/people-become-actors-because-they-want-to-hide-and-it-s-not-easy-to/) [Jimmy Smits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smits/) > [Audiences want Burt, John Wayne and others to go on doing the same thing forever. It's critics and the actors themselves who want actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-needham/audiences-want-burt-john-wayne-and-others-to-go-on-doing-the-same/) [Hal Needham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-needham/) > [As actors, we want more people to love and appreciate us. We want more fans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditi-rao-hydari/as-actors-we-want-more-people-to-love-and-appreciate-us-we-want-more/) [Aditi Rao Hydari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditi-rao-hydari/) ## More by Harold Guskin > [ If you are to do justice to \[the great roles\], you must fly up to them - rather than dragging them down to you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-guskin/if-you-are-to-do-justice-to-the-great-roles-you-must-fly-up-to-them/) [Harold Guskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-guskin/) [Explore all 2 Harold Guskin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-guskin/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) [Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Actors always want to know how I come up with interesting and creative takes on characters, characters that aren’t like me as I appear in daily life and that aren’t like each other. It’s simple: I let the lines and images connect with my imagination. 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