---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The notion that acting is simply about…"
description: "\"The notion that acting is simply about intuitively responding to situations the way you feel couldn't be farther away from how I ask actors to work.\" —..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/mike-leigh-9087_acting_the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-i_1370962.png"
---

#  The notion that acting is simply about intuitively…

![“The notion that acting is simply about intuitively responding to situations the way you feel couldn't be farther away from how I ask actors to work.” quote by Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/mike-leigh-9087_acting_the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-i_1370962.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/mike-leigh-9087_acting_the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-i_1370962.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/mike-leigh-9087_acting_the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-i_1370962.png)

> “The notion that acting is simply about intuitively responding to situations the way you feel couldn't be farther away from how I ask actors to work.”

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Acting requires deliberate technique, not just instinctive emotional reactions.

**In simple terms:** Acting is about skill, not just feeling.

Key Takeaway

Practice structured methods.

Themes

acting technique emotion

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

instructional philosophical

When to use this quote

- Theatre rehearsals
- film sets
- acting workshops

Key Concepts

Method acting Stanislavski emotional truth

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance instinct and technique?
- What training supports authentic performance?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on instinct can ignore craft.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Acting Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting-simply-4721072/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Intuitively Responding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuitively-responding-4721073/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Notion Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion-acting-3146462/) [Responding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responding/) [Simply Intuitively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simply-intuitively-4721074/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [I think this notion of acting and glamour is getting in everybody's way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-think-this-notion-of-acting-and-glamour-is-getting-in-everybody-s/)

[Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/)

> [I love the process of acting, simply because I like to play make believe. But for me, it is purely make believe and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-mount/i-love-the-process-of-acting-simply-because-i-like-to-play-make/)

[Anson Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-mount/)

> [This whole notion of the acting career as a monopoly where you rise to power... it doesn't really work that way. I don't ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/this-whole-notion-of-the-acting-career-as-a-monopoly-where-you-rise/)

[Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/)

> [The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind. It enables us to remain undisturbed, even when the situation is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-practice-of-patience-guards-us-against-losing-our-presence-of/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [Taking ownership of your happiness has two aspects: Accepting that being happy is up to you and that you have the ability and power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marci-shimoff/taking-ownership-of-your-happiness-has-two-aspects-accepting-that/)

[Marci Shimoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marci-shimoff/)

> [You can't take anything online personally, especially if it is negative. You can have 10 positive comments, but the one negative comment will get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-mota/you-can-t-take-anything-online-personally-especially-if-it-is/)

[Bethany Mota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-mota/)

> [When you're writing a novel, you spend four years sitting in your basement and a year waiting for the book to come out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-you-re-writing-a-novel-you-spend-four-years-sitting-in-your/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [ \[Lyndon \] Johnson was responding to a black freedom movement that was tearing the country open and he did what he had to do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/lyndon-johnson-was-responding-to-a-black-freedom-movement-that-was/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

> [Things that are good are good, and if one is responding to that goodness one is in contact with a truth from which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/things-that-are-good-are-good-and-if-one-is-responding-to-that/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [Too many of us hear without heeding, read without responding, confess without changing, profess without practicing, worship without witnessing, and seek without sharing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/too-many-of-us-hear-without-heeding-read-without-responding-confess/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [There certainly are situations where I feel not empowered or uninspired. Particularly when the person's agenda is to intimidate through abusing their position or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/there-certainly-are-situations-where-i-feel-not-empowered-or/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [In my experience, in the real-estate business past success stories are generally not applicable to new situations. We must continually reinvent ourselves, responding to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-mori/in-my-experience-in-the-real-estate-business-past-success-stories-are/)

[Akira Mori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-mori/)

> [You're a musician and you live and die by people responding to your music. It's a business just like anything else and if people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-martel/you-re-a-musician-and-you-live-and-die-by-people-responding-to-your/)

[Marc Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-martel/)

> [Meaning coming from feeling, feeling coming from within, you absorb a massive amount of information, it goes through your whole body, a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/meaning-coming-from-feeling-feeling-coming-from-within-you-absorb-a/)

[Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

[Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/)

## More by Mike Leigh

> [The main problem is that the Hollywood system has already made the film before the director shoots a single frame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/the-main-problem-is-that-the-hollywood-system-has-already-made-the/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [The delineation between the actor and his part is a practical matter. When the camera runs, you want the actor to be the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/the-delineation-between-the-actor-and-his-part-is-a-practical-matter/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [Films are made all over the world all the time and only a thin slice of that product is Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/films-are-made-all-over-the-world-all-the-time-and-only-a-thin-slice/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [I think it's important that nobody forgets that although Hollywood commercially dominates the world cinema, in fact what comes out of the filmmaking here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/i-think-it-s-important-that-nobody-forgets-that-although-hollywood/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [Life is about luck and it's about circumstances and socioeconomic conditions and all the rest of it, but you know, you can also make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/life-is-about-luck-and-it-s-about-circumstances-and-socioeconomic/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [I hope I make films where you walk away . . . with work to do, arguments to have, things to worry about, things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/i-hope-i-make-films-where-you-walk-away-with-work-to-do-arguments-to/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [It's an unhealthy habit to say that life is what you make of it, and if you want to be happy, then you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/it-s-an-unhealthy-habit-to-say-that-life-is-what-you-make-of-it-and/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [You will find hardly any improvising on camera anywhere in my films. It's very structured, but it's all worked out from elaborate improvisations over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/you-will-find-hardly-any-improvising-on-camera-anywhere-in-my-films/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [I take no notice of the trends. It has never concerned me at all. My job is to deal with what I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/i-take-no-notice-of-the-trends-it-has-never-concerned-me-at-all-my/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [A lot of the reasons that I'm resistant to making films in the U.S. have nothing to do with not doing a film in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/a-lot-of-the-reasons-that-i-m-resistant-to-making-films-in-the-u-s/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [But films should be voyeuristic. What else is a film if you're not snooping into somebody else's lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/but-films-should-be-voyeuristic-what-else-is-a-film-if-you-re-not/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [I try and create for the audience something that relates to real-life experience. When you're meeting somebody for the first time, all you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/i-try-and-create-for-the-audience-something-that-relates-to-real-life/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [People have been very resistant to giving me more than the standard amount of money. So I keep making films on a similar scale.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/people-have-been-very-resistant-to-giving-me-more-than-the-standard/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [But actually I make films that I think are extremely sophisticated and cinematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/but-actually-i-make-films-that-i-think-are-extremely-sophisticated/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [My work requires acting at its most committed - it demands actors of enormous resilience, but also intelligence and wit. It doesn't work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/my-work-requires-acting-at-its-most-committed-it-demands-actors-of/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

[Explore all 75 Mike Leigh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "The notion that acting is simply about intuitively responding to situations the way you feel couldn't be farther away from how I ask actors to work.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mike Leigh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-intuitively-responding-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Acting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-intuitively-responding-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/mike-leigh-9087_acting_the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-i_1370962.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/mike-leigh-9087_acting_the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-i_1370962.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/mike-leigh-9087_acting_the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-i_1370962.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The notion that acting is simply about intuitively responding to situations the way you feel couldn't be…” — Mike Leigh",
                "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": "Mike Leigh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The notion that acting is simply...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-intuitively-responding-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/the-notion-that-acting-is-simply-about-intuitively-responding-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
