Acting Quote by Matthew Modine
“When you're studying drama, when you're a young actor, there are simple rules about acting. "Why am I here? What prevents me from leaving? What am I trying to get? How do I hide something?" So when you're making a film like Abel's movie, you want to be thinking about those things all the time. And you wanna be armed with those things, and you hope the other actors you're working with have the same understanding of drama and scene and acting. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Acting Craft, Matthew Modine, 2015
An actor should constantly question motive, obstacles, goals, and concealments to create authentic drama.
In simple terms: Actors need to ask why, what blocks, what they seek, and what they hide.
Key Takeaway
Use these questions to deepen performance.
Themes
acting
motivation
authenticity
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
instructional
motivational
When to use this quote
- auditions
- rehearsals
- film sets
- theatre productions
Key Concepts
method acting
character analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you discover your character’s hidden motives?
- What obstacle drives your character’s actions?
A Different Perspective
If actors ignore these questions, scenes may feel flat.
![“You know, you're just sitting with him [Chevy Chase], then you're doing a scene with him and acting, and all of a sudden you go, "Omigod, that's Chevy Chase!" And then you've got to keep acting. "Danny, your lines? Your lines...? You've got to keep going!" "Oh, sorry, sorry!"” quote by Danny Pudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4df/danny-pudi-29118_acting_you-know-you-re-just-sitting-with-him-ch_3037079.jpg)
