--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People create the illusion of acting…" description: "\"People create the illusion of acting natural, which is what I think most documentarians do in part because of the direct cinema orthodoxies that came i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/joshua-oppenheimer-24024_acting_people-create-the-illusion-of-acting-nat_1905858.jpg" --- # People create the illusion of acting natural, which is… ![“People create the illusion of acting natural, which is what I think most documentarians do in part because of the direct cinema orthodoxies that came into play really in the '60s. That moment of performance is a tremendous opportunity to make visible something hitherto invisible, which is how…” quote by Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/joshua-oppenheimer-24024_acting_people-create-the-illusion-of-acting-nat_1905858.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/joshua-oppenheimer-24024_acting_people-create-the-illusion-of-acting-nat_1905858.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/joshua-oppenheimer-24024_acting_people-create-the-illusion-of-acting-nat_1905858.jpg) > “People create the illusion of acting natural, which is what I think most documentarians do in part because of the direct cinema orthodoxies that came into play really in the '60s. That moment of performance is a tremendous opportunity to make visible something hitherto invisible, which is how people want to be seen. How do they see themselves? What are the scripts, fantasies, genres by which they imagine themselves? How is storytelling part of what we are as human beings? We wouldn't kill each other en masse if it weren't for storytelling. We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves.” [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Documentaries expose hidden truths by staging reality, revealing how storytelling shapes identity and societal cohesion. **In simple terms:** Storytelling reveals hidden selves. Key Takeaway Use film to explore authentic narratives. Themes media identity truth storytelling human nature Mood reflective critical Type cinematic philosophical When to use this quote - documentary filmmaking - media literacy - cultural analysis Key Concepts direct cinema performance representation Questions to Reflect On - How does performance affect authenticity? - What responsibilities do filmmakers have? A Different Perspective Staged scenes may blur fact and fiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“The best stories proceed from a mysterious truth-seeking impulse that narrative has when revised extensively; they are complex and baffling and ambiguous; they tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-best-stories-proceed-from-a-mysterious-truth-seeking-impulse-that/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [So would a Being, endowed with higher insight and more perfect intelligence, watching man and his doings, smile about man's illusion that he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/so-would-a-being-endowed-with-higher-insight-and-more-perfect/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [If the moon, in the act of completing its eternal way around the earth, were gifted with self-consciousness, it would feel thoroughly convinced that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-the-moon-in-the-act-of-completing-its-eternal-way-around-the-earth/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [So for me, it can be theatre or being in L.A. or in some other part of the world, as long as I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilshad-vadsaria/so-for-me-it-can-be-theatre-or-being-in-l-a-or-in-some-other-part-of/) [Dilshad Vadsaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilshad-vadsaria/) > [“Writes Native American storyteller Ray Buckley: A child relates storytelling . . . to human contact, and that contact becomes as much a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/writes-native-american-storyteller-ray-buckley-a-child-relates/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [Many words will be written on the wind and the sand, or end up in some obscure digital vault. But the storytelling will go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/many-words-will-be-written-on-the-wind-and-the-sand-or-end-up-in-some/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) > [Don't tell me I'm crazy. I'm out here acting natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-diaz/don-t-tell-me-i-m-crazy-i-m-out-here-acting-natural/) [Nick Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-diaz/) > [I think acting's very natural. It comes from a place of honesty, and if someone tries to teach you their way of doing it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-heaton/i-think-acting-s-very-natural-it-comes-from-a-place-of-honesty-and-if/) [Charlie Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-heaton/) > [I learn a lot from acting, but it's not my natural way. I can't help but write; I do it all the time. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-stuart-masterson/i-learn-a-lot-from-acting-but-it-s-not-my-natural-way-i-can-t-help/) [Mary Stuart Masterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-stuart-masterson/) > [I think acting is something that is within you. It's a very natural thing for me. It comes from myself, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-think-acting-is-something-that-is-within-you-it-s-a-very-natural/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [It's an acting job - acting natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-s-an-acting-job-acting-natural/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [I thought acting was all about natural instinct but I've realised, through working with so many talented actors on 'Wild Swans' and 'Run,' that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-leung/i-thought-acting-was-all-about-natural-instinct-but-i-ve-realised/) [Katie Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-leung/) > [I think for comedians, acting is their natural progression. It's all about progression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-peters/i-think-for-comedians-acting-is-their-natural-progression-it-s-all/) [Russell Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-peters/) > [Good acting is about being as natural and calm as possible. These days producers have such definite ideas that you have to be prepared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryn-terfel/good-acting-is-about-being-as-natural-and-calm-as-possible-these-days/) [Bryn Terfel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryn-terfel/) > [When I watch my sons play, I think, God, acting's the most natural thing in the world. They take the 'Star Wars' characters and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-allam/when-i-watch-my-sons-play-i-think-god-acting-s-the-most-natural-thing/) [Roger Allam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-allam/) ## More by Joshua Oppenheimer > [There's a tradition of reenactment in documentary which is about sort of illustrating what the past might have been like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/there-s-a-tradition-of-reenactment-in-documentary-which-is-about-sort/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I always have said, you know it's not for me to forgive or to condemn, I'm a filmmaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-always-have-said-you-know-it-s-not-for-me-to-forgive-or-to-condemn/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I think we create our world through stories. We use storytelling to escape or protect ourselves from the unimaginable and the horrible - from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-think-we-create-our-world-through-stories-we-use-storytelling-to/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [We can distance ourselves from the reality of what we did through storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/we-can-distance-ourselves-from-the-reality-of-what-we-did-through/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [In a fiction film, we know at some level we've suspended disbelief. In a documentary, we know that we're watching a drama unfold in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/in-a-fiction-film-we-know-at-some-level-we-ve-suspended-disbelief-in/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I really believe that the past is beyond our grasp and what is essential about the past is something unspeakable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-really-believe-that-the-past-is-beyond-our-grasp-and-what-is/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [Films can't change the society, they can simply open the space for the discussion which can lead to social change and can start new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/films-can-t-change-the-society-they-can-simply-open-the-space-for-the/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I see myself as an explorer more than a storyteller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-see-myself-as-an-explorer-more-than-a-storyteller/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [A podium is something you walk up to, you say what you want to say and when you're finished, you leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/a-podium-is-something-you-walk-up-to-you-say-what-you-want-to-say-and/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [Each and every perpetrator was boastful, usually they would invite me to the places where they killed and I would of course accept those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/each-and-every-perpetrator-was-boastful-usually-they-would-invite-me/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [After the Dutch left Indonesia, after the Indonesians got loose in 1945, the freemen were not as widely used, but then they went through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/after-the-dutch-left-indonesia-after-the-indonesians-got-loose-in/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [The whole tradition of cinema is dominated, really, by films about good guys versus bad guys, good versus evil. But we have very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/the-whole-tradition-of-cinema-is-dominated-really-by-films-about-good/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I need to trust myself and go where my instincts tell me, and to be as wild and free as possible in my creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-need-to-trust-myself-and-go-where-my-instincts-tell-me-and-to-be-as/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [Performance is always oriented towards a spectator, towards an imagined audience and I was thinking who is their imagined audience?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/performance-is-always-oriented-towards-a-spectator-towards-an/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I've become more forgiving, even though I have no patience at all for denial, justification of wrong, rationalization. I've become virtually a pacifist, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-ve-become-more-forgiving-even-though-i-have-no-patience-at-all-for/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) [Explore all 25 Joshua Oppenheimer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) ## 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 > [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": "People create the illusion of acting natural, which is what I think most documentarians do in part because of the direct cinema orthodoxies that came into play really in the '60s. That moment of performance is a tremendous opportunity to make visible something hitherto invisible, which is how people want to be seen. 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