Acting Quote by Kevin Spacey
“It's the way I feel about acting. That we are given clues by a writer about someone's essence or persona and it's our job to try to figure out which of those clues are true, which of clues we decide to follow and which of those clues we think are red herrings, or only in the way another character thinks of that character.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Talk Show, 2005
Acting involves interpreting a writer's hints about a character, deciding which are genuine, which to follow, and which are misleading.
In simple terms: Actors decode a writer’s clues to portray a character.
Key Takeaway
Choose which clues shape your performance.
Themes
acting
interpretation
character
truth
deception
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
instructional
philosophical
When to use this quote
- theatre auditions
- film casting
- character workshops
- directorial guidance
Key Concepts
method acting
character analysis
narrative truth
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide which clues are essential?
- When do you trust your own intuition over the script?
A Different Perspective
Sometimes clues are intentionally ambiguous, making definitive interpretation impossible.
![“I know of no actor who is so pure onstage that he thinks only what his character thinks. If he did, he would presumably become the character: a form of madness. This may be of course what happens to Hamlet--he puts on an antic disposition, and gets stuck with it. [...] Acting is mostly a…” quote by David Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e31/david-burke-69175_acting_i-know-of-no-actor-who-is-so-pure-onstag_1261360.jpg)
![“[Washington, DC] feels like you're watching performance art. A lot of the time. I don't believe them, I don't believe what they say, I don't think they're being absolutely sincere. I think it's performance art. And most of them are bad actors.” quote by Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bab/kevin-spacey-931_actors_washington-dc-feels-like-you-re-watching_99635.jpg)
