--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's advice I always give to directors…" description: "\"It's advice I always give to directors when they're starting out: Take an acting class to really see what it feels like to be an actor. And I have alwa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/marielle-heller-7174_acting_it-s-advice-i-always-give-to-directors-w_2960436.jpg" --- # It's advice I always give to directors when they're… ![“It's advice I always give to directors when they're starting out: Take an acting class to really see what it feels like to be an actor. And I have always felt like one of my strengths as a director is that I share a language and a vocabulary with actors.” quote by Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/marielle-heller-7174_acting_it-s-advice-i-always-give-to-directors-w_2960436.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/marielle-heller-7174_acting_it-s-advice-i-always-give-to-directors-w_2960436.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/marielle-heller-7174_acting_it-s-advice-i-always-give-to-directors-w_2960436.jpg) > “It's advice I always give to directors when they're starting out: Take an acting class to really see what it feels like to be an actor. And I have always felt like one of my strengths as a director is that I share a language and a vocabulary with actors.” [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Directors should experience acting to understand actors' perspective and communicate effectively. **In simple terms:** Directors benefit from acting experience. Key Takeaway Take acting classes to bridge director‑actor gap. Themes communication empathy collaboration craft Mood reflective inspirational Type professional educational When to use this quote - film set - directorial training - actor workshops - team building Key Concepts acting director‑actor language shared vocabulary Questions to Reflect On - How does acting experience change your directing style? - What specific actor insights have you gained? A Different Perspective May not replace formal training; time constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Acting class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting-class/) [Advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I was 28 before I started putting on productions. I got in the back door by doing fringe shows and a lot of assisting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-elliott/i-was-28-before-i-started-putting-on-productions-i-got-in-the-back/) [Marianne Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-elliott/) > [I've never let producers tell me what to do. Even when I was making television, I always did what I wanted to do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/i-ve-never-let-producers-tell-me-what-to-do-even-when-i-was-making/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [To make money in New York, you have to add gigs when starting out, so while I was acting quite a bit, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-squibb/to-make-money-in-new-york-you-have-to-add-gigs-when-starting-out-so/) [June Squibb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-squibb/) > [I worked as a cook before starting acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mitchell/i-worked-as-a-cook-before-starting-acting/) [Jason Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mitchell/) > [ I was just starting out acting \[doing "Airplane"\] and wanted to be taken as a professional, not as an athlete doing a cameo. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-was-just-starting-out-acting-doing-airplane-and-wanted-to-be-taken/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [Sometimes when you're starting out with acting, you have to take what you can get to get experience and meet people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-kinney/sometimes-when-you-re-starting-out-with-acting-you-have-to-take-what/) [Emily Kinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-kinney/) > [When I was first starting out, if you were acting on television, it was a real stigma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lahti/when-i-was-first-starting-out-if-you-were-acting-on-television-it-was/) [Christine Lahti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lahti/) > [I'm getting more and more used to the fact that being a director and being a woman are two things that everyone wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-m-getting-more-and-more-used-to-the-fact-that-being-a-director-and/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > ['Election' is a movie I'd give a leg to cross the director's name out and put mine in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/election-is-a-movie-i-d-give-a-leg-to-cross-the-director-s-name-out/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > [In acting, you are fulfilled if you give justice to your role... if you are able to do a credible performance and touch the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-hutton/in-acting-you-are-fulfilled-if-you-give-justice-to-your-role-if-you/) [Timothy Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-hutton/) > [As a kid, I was really into performing. I would do choruses, I would do musicals, whatever it was. And then, as a teenager,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/as-a-kid-i-was-really-into-performing-i-would-do-choruses-i-would-do/) [Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/) > [It was my freshman year. I was living across the hall from a girl named Kasey Klepper, whose brother, Jordan Klepper, used to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-yeun/it-was-my-freshman-year-i-was-living-across-the-hall-from-a-girl/) [Steven Yeun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-yeun/) > [If you want to play the good roles, spend more time in in college and in acting class than you do in the gym,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendi-mclendon-covey/if-you-want-to-play-the-good-roles-spend-more-time-in-in-college-and/) [Wendi McLendon-Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendi-mclendon-covey/) > [When I first started getting into acting, I was doing improv in acting class, and I had done a serious monologue and everyone was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-teller/when-i-first-started-getting-into-acting-i-was-doing-improv-in-acting/) [Miles Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-teller/) > [The acting background helped a lot when I started writing. I was training for it. In acting class they teach you about the stakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-higgins-clark/the-acting-background-helped-a-lot-when-i-started-writing-i-was/) [Carol Higgins Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-higgins-clark/) ## More by Marielle Heller > [I think there used to be more respect toward young people in movies. John Hughes really respects his characters and they're given their emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-think-there-used-to-be-more-respect-toward-young-people-in-movies/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [I remember my grandmother's husband dying. But I think I was older. I think I was 7 or 8 when he died. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-remember-my-grandmother-s-husband-dying-but-i-think-i-was-older-i/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [My normal way of filming something is, like, one camera, very well planned out, knowing exactly how we're going to get each shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/my-normal-way-of-filming-something-is-like-one-camera-very-well/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [I like working in TV, but my real love is making movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-like-working-in-tv-but-my-real-love-is-making-movies/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [You live in an apartment in New York, and you think all the time about like, 'I don't even know who's living above me.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/you-live-in-an-apartment-in-new-york-and-you-think-all-the-time-about/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [I spent most of my 20s working as an actor. 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In movies, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-do-think-there-s-probably-a-little-more-opportunity-to-direct-in/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [One of the boring tricks about capturing Broadway onscreen, actually, is just about all the different unions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/one-of-the-boring-tricks-about-capturing-broadway-onscreen-actually/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [Why do so many women drop out of the workforce at this age, in our late 30s, early 40s? Well, often it's because we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/why-do-so-many-women-drop-out-of-the-workforce-at-this-age-in-our/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [I just have no interest in making a biopic. No offence to biopics, it's just not where my mind goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-just-have-no-interest-in-making-a-biopic-no-offence-to-biopics-it-s/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [As women we are very accustomed to putting ourselves in the shoes of male leads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/as-women-we-are-very-accustomed-to-putting-ourselves-in-the-shoes-of/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [I remember the first time somebody classified me as a feminist. I was in fourth grade. And I remember thinking, 'Oh, is that what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-remember-the-first-time-somebody-classified-me-as-a-feminist-i-was/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [Just make things, and find people you love working with. If you're working on something you truly love and are passionate about, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/just-make-things-and-find-people-you-love-working-with-if-you-re/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) [Explore all 94 Marielle Heller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) ## 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. 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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. 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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. 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