--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reacting is so important to the craft of…" description: "\"Reacting is so important to the craft of acting.\" — John Knoll" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/john-knoll-12156_acting_reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of_2450792.jpg" --- # Reacting is so important to the craft of acting. ![“Reacting is so important to the craft of acting.” quote by John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/john-knoll-12156_acting_reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of_2450792.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/john-knoll-12156_acting_reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of_2450792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/john-knoll-12156_acting_reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of_2450792.jpg) > “Reacting is so important to the craft of acting.” [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective acting relies on genuine reactions; they shape performance authenticity. **In simple terms:** Reacting is crucial for acting. Key Takeaway Cultivate authentic responses. Themes acting performance craft Mood creative educational Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - theatre rehearsals - improv workshops - on‑set scenes Key Concepts empathy spontaneity presence Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay present in a role? - What techniques enhance spontaneous reaction? A Different Perspective Over‑rehearsal can stifle natural reaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craft/) [Craft Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craft-acting-568993/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-craft-568994/) [Reacting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reacting/) [Reacting Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reacting-important-568992/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [But really important, perhaps most important is the craft; how you make your record, the creation of these sonic worlds you want your listener…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-sheik/but-really-important-perhaps-most-important-is-the-craft-how-you-make/) [Duncan Sheik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-sheik/) > [I'm a geeky actor, in the way that I like the craft of acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/i-m-a-geeky-actor-in-the-way-that-i-like-the-craft-of-acting/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [I love the craft of acting, I love learning, I love everything that comes with the new project; the whole process is totally intoxicating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-love-the-craft-of-acting-i-love-learning-i-love-everything-that/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [One of the things I learnt over the years is that there is a craft to writing, like there is a craft to acting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennie-james/one-of-the-things-i-learnt-over-the-years-is-that-there-is-a-craft-to/) [Lennie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennie-james/) > [It's a vain craft, acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rees/it-s-a-vain-craft-acting/) [Roger Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rees/) > [“My heart was never in the craft of acting, only in the proving. Proving my power, proving my worth, proving my talent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-jenkins-reid/my-heart-was-never-in-the-craft-of-acting-only-in-the-proving-proving/) [Taylor Jenkins Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-jenkins-reid/) > [We learned out craft. Acting is a craft and you must learn it. I see a lot of talent today in the kids but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-klugman/we-learned-out-craft-acting-is-a-craft-and-you-must-learn-it-i-see-a/) [Jack Klugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-klugman/) > [As I got older, I went to school. I started doing plays, I learned about the craft of acting, and I started to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-gunn/as-i-got-older-i-went-to-school-i-started-doing-plays-i-learned-about/) [Sean Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-gunn/) > [For me, that is the craft of acting: literally creating something from nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hornsby/for-me-that-is-the-craft-of-acting-literally-creating-something-from/) [Russell Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hornsby/) > [My job, and what I've taken such joy in, is the craft of acting and of creating dynamic and authentic characters, and then finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tucker/my-job-and-what-i-ve-taken-such-joy-in-is-the-craft-of-acting-and-of/) [Jonathan Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tucker/) > [I don't see any difference in the craft of acting, in film or television. It's absolutely the same. It's different storytelling, playing a character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-don-t-see-any-difference-in-the-craft-of-acting-in-film-or/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [It would be completely laughable if I claimed I was always motivated by the pure craft of acting and that recognition doesn't play a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/it-would-be-completely-laughable-if-i-claimed-i-was-always-motivated/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [I'm a geeky actor, in the way that I like the craft of acting. I trained as a stage actor and was given a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/i-m-a-geeky-actor-in-the-way-that-i-like-the-craft-of-acting-i/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [I started doing theatre with Satyadev Dubey at Prithvi and I had to start from scratch. I had fallen in love with the craft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tisca-chopra/i-started-doing-theatre-with-satyadev-dubey-at-prithvi-and-i-had-to/) [Tisca Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tisca-chopra/) > [I did a theater program the summer of my junior year, and that's when I really fell in love with the craft of acting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-hedges/i-did-a-theater-program-the-summer-of-my-junior-year-and-that-s-when/) [Lucas Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-hedges/) ## More by John Knoll > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > ['Pacific Rim,' for me, was a chance to touch on those old Toho monster movies. 'Godzilla' and 'Rodan'... and then 'Ultraman' and 'Robotech' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/pacific-rim-for-me-was-a-chance-to-touch-on-those-old-toho-monster/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [If you need to do a movie where you have an army of 10,000 soldiers, that's a very difficult thing to shoot for real.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/if-you-need-to-do-a-movie-where-you-have-an-army-of-10-000-soldiers/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [A lot of filmmakers understand that the work is done digitally, and it's technically possible to change it late in the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/a-lot-of-filmmakers-understand-that-the-work-is-done-digitally-and-it/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Eighty percent of my job is to ask the question, 'If this were real, what would it look like?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/eighty-percent-of-my-job-is-to-ask-the-question-if-this-were-real/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [I came in during the era of models, motion control, and optical printers. ILM had just started its own computer graphics division, after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-came-in-during-the-era-of-models-motion-control-and-optical/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [A lot of us got into the industry because of 'Star Wars,' and we all have this love of the original source material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/a-lot-of-us-got-into-the-industry-because-of-star-wars-and-we-all/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [If you were a new guy at ILM, they put you on the night crew - my shift was from 7 P.M. to about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/if-you-were-a-new-guy-at-ilm-they-put-you-on-the-night-crew-my-shift/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Often if a picture is in trouble one way or another, there are ways to salvage it, through reshoots or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/often-if-a-picture-is-in-trouble-one-way-or-another-there-are-ways-to/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Any tool can be used for good or bad. It's really the ethics of the artist using it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/any-tool-can-be-used-for-good-or-bad-it-s-really-the-ethics-of-the/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [When I was a kid, one of my hobbies was as model-maker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/when-i-was-a-kid-one-of-my-hobbies-was-as-model-maker/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Part of the process is always, 'Is there a better way?' We try to think through if there's something we can do better creatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/part-of-the-process-is-always-is-there-a-better-way-we-try-to-think/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [ILM was the first company that I had worked at that had a computer-graphics division.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/ilm-was-the-first-company-that-i-had-worked-at-that-had-a-computer/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Visual-effects shots should flow into the rest of the live action, and you shouldn't be able to see a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/visual-effects-shots-should-flow-into-the-rest-of-the-live-action-and/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [There are things that I am nostalgic about from the 'good old days.' I loved motion control cameras, actually. I love the way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/there-are-things-that-i-am-nostalgic-about-from-the-good-old-days-i/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) [Explore all 56 John Knoll quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reacting is so important to the craft of acting.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Knoll" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of-acting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of-acting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/john-knoll-12156_acting_reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of_2450792.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/john-knoll-12156_acting_reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of_2450792.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/john-knoll-12156_acting_reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of_2450792.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reacting is so important to the craft of acting.” — John Knoll", "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": "John Knoll", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reacting is so important to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of-acting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/reacting-is-so-important-to-the-craft-of-acting/#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 } } ] } ```