--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The other, the other aspect when I say…" description: "\"The other, the other aspect when I say I'm an actor is that as an actor you make this imaginative leap into being somebody else, that's to say the musc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/simon-mcburney-7667_actor_the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i_881566.jpg" --- # The other, the other aspect when I say I'm an actor is… ![“The other, the other aspect when I say I'm an actor is that as an actor you make this imaginative leap into being somebody else, that's to say the muscle of the imagination is as important as any other of the muscles in your body, and so it is something about this instinct in space and time which…” quote by Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/simon-mcburney-7667_actor_the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i_881566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/simon-mcburney-7667_actor_the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i_881566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/simon-mcburney-7667_actor_the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i_881566.jpg) > “The other, the other aspect when I say I'm an actor is that as an actor you make this imaginative leap into being somebody else, that's to say the muscle of the imagination is as important as any other of the muscles in your body, and so it is something about this instinct in space and time which for me I associate with being an actor rather than a director.” [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An actor must use imagination as a physical skill, just like any other muscle, to inhabit another person in time and space. **In simple terms:** Imagination is a muscle actors use to become someone else. Key Takeaway Train imagination like a muscle. Themes creativity performance identity embodiment Mood reflective inspired analytical Type philosophical practical motivational When to use this quote - rehearsals - character development - role preparation - improvisation Key Concepts method acting cognitive flexibility embodied cognition Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance imagination with authentic emotion? - What exercises strengthen imaginative muscles? A Different Perspective Imagination alone cannot replace technical skill or emotional truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imaginative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginative/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Leap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leap/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space and time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-and-time/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time and space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-space/) ## Related quotes > [It's a lot of feelings, I think, when people so strongly associate an actor with a character they play - but the main feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-weil/it-s-a-lot-of-feelings-i-think-when-people-so-strongly-associate-an/) [Liza Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-weil/) > [I think, when people so strongly associate an actor with a character they play - but the main feeling is I feel very happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-weil/i-think-when-people-so-strongly-associate-an-actor-with-a-character/) [Liza Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-weil/) > [“Creativity is a muscle, and when we flex the muscle of our imagination, we find inspiration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inbar-shahar/creativity-is-a-muscle-and-when-we-flex-the-muscle-of-our-imagination/) Inbar Shahar > [For decades I'd flit from drawing table to typewriter to guitar with no sense of strain or contradiction. They all exercised the same psychic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-blegvad/for-decades-i-d-flit-from-drawing-table-to-typewriter-to-guitar-with/) [Peter Blegvad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-blegvad/) > [I feel like developing the muscle of my imagination became a way to survive reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-marling/i-feel-like-developing-the-muscle-of-my-imagination-became-a-way-to/) [Brit Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-marling/) > [Normally when people ask me what I do I say I'm an actor, and that's what I always wanted to be and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/normally-when-people-ask-me-what-i-do-i-say-i-m-an-actor-and-that-s/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [One of the most, in a weird way, encouraging things a director can say to an actor - I know this as an actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/one-of-the-most-in-a-weird-way-encouraging-things-a-director-can-say/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [For the longest time, I was always like a guy that people would think they went to high school with. They'd be like, 'How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-messina/for-the-longest-time-i-was-always-like-a-guy-that-people-would-think/) [Chris Messina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-messina/) > [You know, if an actor or, say, a basketball player writes a rhyme, it doesn't mean he's a rapper. You got to put in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redman/you-know-if-an-actor-or-say-a-basketball-player-writes-a-rhyme-it/) [Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/redman/) > [You can't say you're an actor if you've never acted, and you can't act if no one gives you an opportunity, but they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-orji/you-can-t-say-you-re-an-actor-if-you-ve-never-acted-and-you-can-t-act/) [Yvonne Orji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-orji/) > [I have to say that as an actor, I really look for the role. I'm not really looking to see if it's for television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-smart/i-have-to-say-that-as-an-actor-i-really-look-for-the-role-i-m-not/) [Amy Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-smart/) > [I always hated the world "acting" - to say, "I'm an actor." It should be more like a believer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-always-hated-the-world-acting-to-say-i-m-an-actor-it-should-be-more/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [If you drugged me with truth serum and said I can only do one thing, I would probably have to say that I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-hall/if-you-drugged-me-with-truth-serum-and-said-i-can-only-do-one-thing-i/) [Brad Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-hall/) > [I have to say from an actor's perspective, to work with a director who has been an actor through most of their career is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-allen/i-have-to-say-from-an-actor-s-perspective-to-work-with-a-director-who/) [Karen Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-allen/) > [I've done so much different stuff, people kinda go, 'Do you live in Islington?' 'Did you used to go to so and so school?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harewood/i-ve-done-so-much-different-stuff-people-kinda-go-do-you-live-in/) [David Harewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harewood/) ## More by Simon McBurney > [The brain constantly assures us, reassures us, that we are in control. But the closer you look, the more questions you have about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-brain-constantly-assures-us-reassures-us-that-we-are-in-control/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Theatre artists are essentially sort of charlatans and thieves, I mean that's the tradition that we come from, so I have absolutely no, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/theatre-artists-are-essentially-sort-of-charlatans-and-thieves-i-mean/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [My work is not generally in the commercial sector. However, I'm not worried by the commercial sector. I refuse to work in any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/my-work-is-not-generally-in-the-commercial-sector-however-i-m-not/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [In my opinion, there's nothing new in the theatre, ever. Theatre-makers are thieves, in the honourable tradition of charlatans. They fake it very, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/in-my-opinion-there-s-nothing-new-in-the-theatre-ever-theatre-makers/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Our lives are a sequence of things. When we're alive, they're continuing, just as my words now are an improvisation. So the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/our-lives-are-a-sequence-of-things-when-we-re-alive-they-re/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [We try to place the human body in relation to the image all the time, so it's never a kind of a backdrop, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/we-try-to-place-the-human-body-in-relation-to-the-image-all-the-time/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I constantly want to know - what is a table, or what is a cat?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-constantly-want-to-know-what-is-a-table-or-what-is-a-cat/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [The only reality of the theater exists in the mind of the audience. That audience looks collectively at what is going on on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-only-reality-of-the-theater-exists-in-the-mind-of-the-audience/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I suppose as an actor you become very sensitive to rhythm, not just rhythm as you look at it sort of from the, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-suppose-as-an-actor-you-become-very-sensitive-to-rhythm-not-just/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I remember the fact that milk was delivered every day by a milkman. In summer, my mother would make what now seem in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-remember-the-fact-that-milk-was-delivered-every-day-by-a-milkman-in/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > ['Mnemonic' is a play about memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/mnemonic-is-a-play-about-memory/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I have always felt more at home in a culture that has nothing to do with the one I was born and brought up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-have-always-felt-more-at-home-in-a-culture-that-has-nothing-to-do/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Yes it was chaos, working through chaos, you never quite knew what you were going to do each day, but you knew that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/yes-it-was-chaos-working-through-chaos-you-never-quite-knew-what-you/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [One of the things he liked about playwriting as to any other kind of writing is that a playwright is a w-r-i-g-h-t, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/one-of-the-things-he-liked-about-playwriting-as-to-any-other-kind-of/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [With the theatre, for God's sake, everything makes sense. You create a clear sequential reality for a specific audience at one particular time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/with-the-theatre-for-god-s-sake-everything-makes-sense-you-create-a/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) [Explore all 89 Simon McBurney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) ## More Actor 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/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [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/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [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/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The other, the other aspect when I say I'm an actor is that as an actor you make this imaginative leap into being somebody else, that's to say the muscle of the imagination is as important as any other of the muscles in your body, and so it is something about this instinct in space and time which for me I associate with being an actor rather than a director.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Simon McBurney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i-m-an-actor-is-that-as-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i-m-an-actor-is-that-as-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/simon-mcburney-7667_actor_the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i_881566.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/simon-mcburney-7667_actor_the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i_881566.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/simon-mcburney-7667_actor_the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i_881566.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The other, the other aspect when I say I'm an actor is that as an actor you make this imaginative leap into…” — Simon McBurney", "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": "Simon McBurney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The other, the other aspect when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i-m-an-actor-is-that-as-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-other-the-other-aspect-when-i-say-i-m-an-actor-is-that-as-an/#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 } } ] } ```