--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're portraying someone, whether…" description: "\"When you're portraying someone, whether they're real or fictional, you have to find some kind of hook where it feels real to you because if you don't b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/india-eisley-19882_believe_when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-t_508717.jpg" --- # When you're portraying someone, whether they're real or… ![“When you're portraying someone, whether they're real or fictional, you have to find some kind of hook where it feels real to you because if you don't believe it yourself, then no one else is going to believe it.” quote by India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/india-eisley-19882_believe_when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-t_508717.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/india-eisley-19882_believe_when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-t_508717.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/india-eisley-19882_believe_when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-t_508717.jpg) > “When you're portraying someone, whether they're real or fictional, you have to find some kind of hook where it feels real to you because if you don't believe it yourself, then no one else is going to believe it.” [India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/) ## 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 discover a personal connection to a character to portray them convincingly; without personal belief, the performance lacks authenticity. **In simple terms:** Find a personal hook to make a role feel real. Key Takeaway Believe in the character to make others believe. Themes acting authenticity craft psychology Mood focused introspective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - auditions - film sets - theatre rehearsals - character workshops Key Concepts method acting empathy identification Questions to Reflect On - What personal experiences can you link to a character? - How do you maintain belief under pressure? A Different Perspective If the hook is forced, the performance can feel contrived. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Portraying a real-life character can be quiet challenging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/portraying-a-real-life-character-can-be-quiet-challenging/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“I want either the fiction to be real or me to be fictional.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-z-vodsk/i-want-either-the-fiction-to-be-real-or-me-to-be-fictional/) Andrea Závodská > [Has there ever been anybody, real or fictional, whiter than Betty Crocker?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-carr/has-there-ever-been-anybody-real-or-fictional-whiter-than-betty/) [Howie Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-carr/) > [The best test to know whether an entity is real or fictional is the test of suffering. A nation cannot suffer, feel pain or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-rantzen/the-best-test-to-know-whether-an-entity-is-real-or-fictional-is-the/) Esther Rantzen > [It is not that I am only looking at doing biopics. But of course, as an actor, I always love portraying real-life characters because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkummar-rao/it-is-not-that-i-am-only-looking-at-doing-biopics-but-of-course-as-an/) [Rajkummar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkummar-rao/) > [The problem with Instagram is people aren't portraying their real selves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vogue-williams/the-problem-with-instagram-is-people-aren-t-portraying-their-real/) [Vogue Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vogue-williams/) > [Our films are now portraying the real woman of today, and thankfully, female characters are pretty close to reality. This is a welcome change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/supriya-pathak/our-films-are-now-portraying-the-real-woman-of-today-and-thankfully/) [Supriya Pathak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/supriya-pathak/) > [“Fear feels real because it creates a physiological response in the Realm of Form. If you release it, using your mind and imagination to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colette-baron-reid/fear-feels-real-because-it-creates-a-physiological-response-in-the/) [Colette Baron Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colette-baron-reid/) > [There's a way of doing comedy that feels true to the person doing it, that doesn't feel like clown-work or silly faces and antics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-daly/there-s-a-way-of-doing-comedy-that-feels-true-to-the-person-doing-it/) [Andy Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-daly/) > [I like to mix pieces in my art direction from the '60s or the '40s and the '90s and present-day stuff. 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Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) ## More by India Eisley > [I was a real weird kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/i-was-a-real-weird-kid/) [India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/) > [There was a period of time when I studied ballet a lot when I was growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/there-was-a-period-of-time-when-i-studied-ballet-a-lot-when-i-was/) [India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/) > [Bullying has been around since humans have been around, I think. I think it is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/bullying-has-been-around-since-humans-have-been-around-i-think-i/) [India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/) > [A lot of the time with jobs that I've booked, immediately I'll read the breakdown, or I'll read the script, and I'm like, 'Oh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/a-lot-of-the-time-with-jobs-that-i-ve-booked-immediately-i-ll-read/) [India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/) > [It's a big responsibility, I think, when you play somebody who has existed but also somebody who has just recently passed away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/it-s-a-big-responsibility-i-think-when-you-play-somebody-who-has/) [India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/) > [It's a tad embarrassing, but there's this show called 'The Dead Files' on the Travel Channel, and I'm completely obsessed with it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/it-s-a-tad-embarrassing-but-there-s-this-show-called-the-dead-files/) [India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/) > [As an actor, those kinds of really intense, emotionally packed, dark things, those always very appeal to me greatly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/as-an-actor-those-kinds-of-really-intense-emotionally-packed-dark/) [India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/) > [I always loved playing extreme opposites, whether it's internal or external.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/i-always-loved-playing-extreme-opposites-whether-it-s-internal-or/) [India Eisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/) > [I always enjoy fight scenes and being grubby and bloody and not having to look good. 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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/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're portraying someone, whether they're real or fictional, you have to find some kind of hook where it feels real to you because if you don't believe it yourself, then no one else is going to believe it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "India Eisley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-they-re-real-or-fictional-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-they-re-real-or-fictional-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/india-eisley-19882_believe_when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-t_508717.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/india-eisley-19882_believe_when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-t_508717.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/india-eisley-19882_believe_when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-t_508717.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you're portraying someone, whether they're real or fictional, you have to find some kind of hook where…” — India Eisley", "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": "India Eisley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-eisley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you're portraying someone, whether they're...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-they-re-real-or-fictional-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-eisley/when-you-re-portraying-someone-whether-they-re-real-or-fictional-you/#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 } } ] } ```