--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: TV acting is so extremely intimate…" description: "\"TV acting is so extremely intimate, because of the peculiar involvement of the viewer with the completion orclosing of the TV image, that the actor mus..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afe/marshall-mcluhan-641_acting_tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-becau_2180819.png" --- # TV acting is so extremely intimate, because of the… ![“TV acting is so extremely intimate, because of the peculiar involvement of the viewer with the completion orclosing of the TV image, that the actor must achieve a great degree of spontaneous casualness that would be irrelevant in movie and lost on the stage. For the audienceparticipates in the…” quote by Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afe/marshall-mcluhan-641_acting_tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-becau_2180819.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afe/marshall-mcluhan-641_acting_tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-becau_2180819.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afe/marshall-mcluhan-641_acting_tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-becau_2180819.png) > “TV acting is so extremely intimate, because of the peculiar involvement of the viewer with the completion orclosing of the TV image, that the actor must achieve a great degree of spontaneous casualness that would be irrelevant in movie and lost on the stage. For the audienceparticipates in the inner life ofthe TV actor as fully as in the outer life of the movie star. Technically, TV tends to be a close-up medium. The close-up that in the movie is used for shock is, on TV, a quite casual thing.” [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. TV acting requires a natural, spontaneous style because the close‑up format makes viewers feel directly involved in the actor’s inner life, unlike film or stage. **In simple terms:** TV acting is intimate and casual due to close‑ups. Key Takeaway Embrace naturalness on camera. Themes media performance intimacy audience perception authenticity Mood reflective analytical Type critical educational insightful When to use this quote - television production - acting workshops - director‑actor collaboration - media education Key Concepts media theory psychology of perception performance studies Questions to Reflect On - How does intimacy affect actor preparation? - Can casualness be misread as lack of skill? A Different Perspective Close‑ups can also limit subtlety, making over‑acting a risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Inner life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-life/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movie star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-star/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Things happen for a reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen-for-a-reason/) ## Related quotes > [TV acting is so extremely intimate, because of the peculiar involvement of the viewer with the completion or "closing" of the TV image, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-because-of-the-peculiar/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Occasionally, as an actor, you're not... Sometimes, at least for me, I'm not fully in the groove until the second or third take, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/occasionally-as-an-actor-you-re-not-sometimes-at-least-for-me-i-m-not/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [These days with our economy changing so much, there's not as much TV being made and there's a lot more reality these days, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffani-thiessen/these-days-with-our-economy-changing-so-much-there-s-not-as-much-tv/) [Tiffani Thiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffani-thiessen/) > [Acting is something I'm extremely passionate about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bindi-irwin/acting-is-something-i-m-extremely-passionate-about/) [Bindi Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bindi-irwin/) > [I had a very embarrassing time acting extremely badly at university, which is when directing suddenly became so attractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-elliott/i-had-a-very-embarrassing-time-acting-extremely-badly-at-university/) [Marianne Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-elliott/) > [Before I was acting, I was extremely athletic and for a lot of time in my life, I didn't know how to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/y-lan-noel/before-i-was-acting-i-was-extremely-athletic-and-for-a-lot-of-time-in/) [Y'lan Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/y-lan-noel/) > [I got a chance to act, and I have to say that acting is extremely fun and vital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-labrava/i-got-a-chance-to-act-and-i-have-to-say-that-acting-is-extremely-fun/) [David Labrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-labrava/) > [There is a difference between movie actors and TV acting, especially with movie stars, which is they know their face is 20 feet high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/there-is-a-difference-between-movie-actors-and-tv-acting-especially/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I went to elementary like any other kid, but I was just always a little different. I had that sparkle, and everyone told my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raven-goodwin/i-went-to-elementary-like-any-other-kid-but-i-was-just-always-a/) [Raven Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raven-goodwin/) > [Viola Davis, she does have a lot of TV acting jobs, and she's also a very, very accomplished stage actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-stanford/viola-davis-she-does-have-a-lot-of-tv-acting-jobs-and-she-s-also-a/) [Aaron Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-stanford/) > [People talk about the difference between radio acting, TV acting and stage acting, but I think it's all the same. For instance, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/people-talk-about-the-difference-between-radio-acting-tv-acting-and/) [Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/) > [That's all TV acting is. Like, let me find my mark and seem like I'm still acting. Sometimes they'll put sandbags there, but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-benanti/that-s-all-tv-acting-is-like-let-me-find-my-mark-and-seem-like-i-m/) [Laura Benanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-benanti/) > [No TV, no acting for me. I'm kind of a more behind-the-scenes kind of woman even though what I do is very public. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/no-tv-no-acting-for-me-i-m-kind-of-a-more-behind-the-scenes-kind-of/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [I've done a couple of series before, and what I like about TV is, as an actor, you get that chance to practice all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meaghan-rath/i-ve-done-a-couple-of-series-before-and-what-i-like-about-tv-is-as-an/) [Meaghan Rath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meaghan-rath/) > [People know me as a TV actor but they don't know who the real Abhinav Shukla is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhinav-shukla/people-know-me-as-a-tv-actor-but-they-don-t-know-who-the-real-abhinav/) [Abhinav Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhinav-shukla/) ## More by Marshall McLuhan > [Even mud gives the illusion of depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/even-mud-gives-the-illusion-of-depth/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Language always preserves a play or figure/ground relation between experience, and perception and its replay in expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/language-always-preserves-a-play-or-figure-ground-relation-between/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Electronic man has no physical body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/electronic-man-has-no-physical-body/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [With the arrival of electric technology, man has extended, or set outside himself, a live model of the central nervous system itself. To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/with-the-arrival-of-electric-technology-man-has-extended-or-set/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“The constant broadcast and reception of ghostly images via radio and television, according to this notion, had weakened the sense, particularly among youth, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-constant-broadcast-and-reception-of-ghostly-images-via-radio-and/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The family circle has widened. The worldpool of information fathered by the electric media--movies, Telstar, flight--far surpassesany possible influence mom and dad can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-family-circle-has-widened-the-worldpool-of-information-fathered/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Like primitive, we now live in a global village of our own making, a simultaneous happening. It doesn't necessarily mean harmony and peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/like-primitive-we-now-live-in-a-global-village-of-our-own-making-a/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The visual power of the phonetic alphabet is the translate other languages into itself is part of its power to invade right hemisphere (oral)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-visual-power-of-the-phonetic-alphabet-is-the-translate-other/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [New media may at first appear as mere codes of transmission for older achievement and established patterns of thought. But nobody could make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/new-media-may-at-first-appear-as-mere-codes-of-transmission-for-older/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Youth instinctively understand the present environment - the electric drama. It lives mythically and in depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/youth-instinctively-understand-the-present-environment-the-electric/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Our motor car is our supreme form of privacy when we are away from home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/our-motor-car-is-our-supreme-form-of-privacy-when-we-are-away-from/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The scientist rigorously defends his right to be ignorant of almost everything except his specialty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-scientist-rigorously-defends-his-right-to-be-ignorant-of-almost/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) [Explore all 433 Marshall McLuhan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) ## 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": "TV acting is so extremely intimate, because of the peculiar involvement of the viewer with the completion orclosing of the TV image, that the actor must achieve a great degree of spontaneous casualness that would be irrelevant in movie and lost on the stage. For the audienceparticipates in the inner life ofthe TV actor as fully as in the outer life of the movie star. Technically, TV tends to be a close-up medium. The close-up that in the movie is used for shock is, on TV, a quite casual thing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marshall McLuhan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-because-of-the-peculiar-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-because-of-the-peculiar-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afe/marshall-mcluhan-641_acting_tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-becau_2180819.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afe/marshall-mcluhan-641_acting_tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-becau_2180819.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afe/marshall-mcluhan-641_acting_tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-becau_2180819.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“TV acting is so extremely intimate, because of the peculiar involvement of the viewer with the completion…” — Marshall McLuhan", "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": "Marshall McLuhan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "TV acting is so extremely intimate,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-because-of-the-peculiar-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/tv-acting-is-so-extremely-intimate-because-of-the-peculiar-2/#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 } } ] } ```