--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I had learned from our encounter was…" description: "\"“What I had learned from our encounter was invaluable. Never try to look like your character, leave some room for the director's imagination. Turn your..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/shohreh-aghdashloo-38581_blank-canvas_what-i-had-learned-from-our-encounter-wa_735061.png" --- # What I had learned from our encounter was invaluable… ![“What I had learned from our encounter was invaluable. Never try to look like your character, leave some room for the director's imagination. Turn yourself into a blank canvas ready to be painted on. Give him the pleasure of discovering you rather than finding you.” quote by Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/shohreh-aghdashloo-38581_blank-canvas_what-i-had-learned-from-our-encounter-wa_735061.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/shohreh-aghdashloo-38581_blank-canvas_what-i-had-learned-from-our-encounter-wa_735061.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/shohreh-aghdashloo-38581_blank-canvas_what-i-had-learned-from-our-encounter-wa_735061.png) > ““What I had learned from our encounter was invaluable. Never try to look like your character, leave some room for the director's imagination. Turn yourself into a blank canvas ready to be painted on. Give him the pleasure of discovering you rather than finding you.”” [Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shohreh-aghdashloo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors should leave space for directors to shape characters, allowing organic discovery. **In simple terms:** Leave room for creative interpretation. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility in performance. Themes creativity collaboration acting directing Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic process When to use this quote - auditions - rehearsals - film sets - theatre productions Key Concepts character development artistic freedom interpretation Questions to Reflect On - How can actors balance preparation with spontaneity? - What risks arise from too much improvisation? A Different Perspective Over‑control can stifle authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blank canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-canvas/) [Encounter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounter/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things that's awesome about being an actor is that you get to do stories, live lives and have experiences that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-marling/one-of-the-things-that-s-awesome-about-being-an-actor-is-that-you-get/) [Brit Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-marling/) > [I want to make my kind of films but make them work commercially, too. When my presentation meets the director's imagination, the result will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/i-want-to-make-my-kind-of-films-but-make-them-work-commercially-too/) [Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/) > [The mild creaminess of cottage cheese makes it a perfect blank canvas for almost any flavor combination, savory or sweet. Since it's so soft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-saffitz/the-mild-creaminess-of-cottage-cheese-makes-it-a-perfect-blank-canvas/) [Claire Saffitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-saffitz/) > [The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesmerises-some-painters-so-much/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Behind all creation is silence. Silence is the essential condition, the vital ingredient for all creation and all that is created. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-bk-satyanarayan/behind-all-creation-is-silence-silence-is-the-essential-condition-the/) [Dr BK Satyanarayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-bk-satyanarayan/) > [I don't go into the studio with the idea of 'saying' something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-diebenkorn/i-don-t-go-into-the-studio-with-the-idea-of-saying-something-what-i/) [Richard Diebenkorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-diebenkorn/) > [I try to kind of come at everything as a blank canvas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-elordi/i-try-to-kind-of-come-at-everything-as-a-blank-canvas/) [Jacob Elordi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-elordi/) > [An artist does his most difficult work when he steps back from the blank canvas and thinks about what he is going to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/an-artist-does-his-most-difficult-work-when-he-steps-back-from-the/) [Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/) > [“I'm... a blank canvas. There's nothing here to love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/i-m-a-blank-canvas-there-s-nothing-here-to-love/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“Your life is a blank canvas,” her mother always told her. “It is what you make of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-mooney/your-life-is-a-blank-canvas-her-mother-always-told-her-it-is-what-you/) [Bryan Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-mooney/) > [I'm constantly thinking about design, shapes, patterns and colors, so I just want to be more of a blank canvas. But there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabal-gurung/i-m-constantly-thinking-about-design-shapes-patterns-and-colors-so-i/) [Prabal Gurung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabal-gurung/) > [“EXERCISE Creating Authentic Relationships The questions below deal with issues most people take for granted and let society define for them. 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As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) ## More by Shohreh Aghdashloo > [Cinema is a reflection of its own society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shohreh-aghdashloo/cinema-is-a-reflection-of-its-own-society/) [Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shohreh-aghdashloo/) > [A good piece of art should make a revolution inside you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shohreh-aghdashloo/a-good-piece-of-art-should-make-a-revolution-inside-you/) [Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shohreh-aghdashloo/) > [I do pick my projects very meticulously. I want my projects to be meaningful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shohreh-aghdashloo/i-do-pick-my-projects-very-meticulously-i-want-my-projects-to-be/) [Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shohreh-aghdashloo/) > [The whole world is global. With the Internet, it's like we're all living in a small village. We're starting more and more to realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shohreh-aghdashloo/the-whole-world-is-global-with-the-internet-it-s-like-we-re-all/) [Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shohreh-aghdashloo/) > [Iranians call California and Iran 'sister cities;' they're very much alike. 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You can start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-taormino/exercise-creating-authentic-relationships-the-questions-below-deal/) [Tristan Taormino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-taormino/) > [I'm constantly thinking about design, shapes, patterns and colors, so I just want to be more of a blank canvas. But there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabal-gurung/i-m-constantly-thinking-about-design-shapes-patterns-and-colors-so-i/) [Prabal Gurung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabal-gurung/) > [“Your life is a blank canvas,” her mother always told her. “It is what you make of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-mooney/your-life-is-a-blank-canvas-her-mother-always-told-her-it-is-what-you/) [Bryan Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-mooney/) > [“I'm... a blank canvas. There's nothing here to love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/i-m-a-blank-canvas-there-s-nothing-here-to-love/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [An artist does his most difficult work when he steps back from the blank canvas and thinks about what he is going to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/an-artist-does-his-most-difficult-work-when-he-steps-back-from-the/) [Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/) > [I try to kind of come at everything as a blank canvas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-elordi/i-try-to-kind-of-come-at-everything-as-a-blank-canvas/) [Jacob Elordi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-elordi/) > [I don't go into the studio with the idea of 'saying' something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-diebenkorn/i-don-t-go-into-the-studio-with-the-idea-of-saying-something-what-i/) [Richard Diebenkorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-diebenkorn/) > [Behind all creation is silence. Silence is the essential condition, the vital ingredient for all creation and all that is created. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-bk-satyanarayan/behind-all-creation-is-silence-silence-is-the-essential-condition-the/) [Dr BK Satyanarayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-bk-satyanarayan/) > [The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesmerises-some-painters-so-much/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [The mild creaminess of cottage cheese makes it a perfect blank canvas for almost any flavor combination, savory or sweet. Since it's so soft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-saffitz/the-mild-creaminess-of-cottage-cheese-makes-it-a-perfect-blank-canvas/) [Claire Saffitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-saffitz/) > [“Every single morning we awake from our rest to a day that has never existed before. A day with the latent possibility of anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-berube-ph-d/every-single-morning-we-awake-from-our-rest-to-a-day-that-has-never/) Anne Berube Ph.D > [“Personally, I think on leaving school we aren't prepared to deal with the seriousness the work place presents. Indeed, the formality of the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hart/personally-i-think-on-leaving-school-we-aren-t-prepared-to-deal-with/) [Miranda Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hart/) [Browse all 126 Blank canvas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-canvas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What I had learned from our encounter was invaluable. Never try to look like your character, leave some room for the director's imagination. Turn yourself into a blank canvas ready to be painted on. 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