--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was this book that Judi Dench wrote…" description: "\"There was this book that Judi Dench wrote that said there was a moment where, before an actor can be this or be that, the actor must simply be. I thoug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/zoe-saldana-4335_actor_there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrot_2628542.jpg" --- # There was this book that Judi Dench wrote that said there… ![“There was this book that Judi Dench wrote that said there was a moment where, before an actor can be this or be that, the actor must simply be. I thought that to have absolute presence was to absorb everything that’s thrown at you.” quote by Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/zoe-saldana-4335_actor_there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrot_2628542.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/zoe-saldana-4335_actor_there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrot_2628542.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/zoe-saldana-4335_actor_there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrot_2628542.jpg) > “There was this book that Judi Dench wrote that said there was a moment where, before an actor can be this or be that, the actor must simply be. I thought that to have absolute presence was to absorb everything that’s thrown at you.” [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote emphasizes that an actor must first be present and receptive before taking on roles, suggesting presence is foundational. **In simple terms:** Presence precedes performance. Key Takeaway Cultivate true presence. Themes mindfulness authenticity craft Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - theatre rehearsals - film sets - personal meditation Key Concepts presence acting technique self‑awareness Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay present in high‑pressure moments? - What practices help you absorb experiences? A Different Perspective May be idealized, hard to practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Japanese society doesn't have a god - no absolute presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hirokazu-kore-eda/japanese-society-doesn-t-have-a-god-no-absolute-presence/) [Hirokazu Kore-eda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hirokazu-kore-eda/) > [Normal Heart' was my most transcendent moment as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-moment-as-an-actor/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [You have to trust your instincts. There is a moment when an actor has it, and he knows it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/you-have-to-trust-your-instincts-there-is-a-moment-when-an-actor-has/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [What's the classical moment that every actor or actress deals with? A tragic thing. They get that blank, faraway look in their eyes. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skeet-ulrich/what-s-the-classical-moment-that-every-actor-or-actress-deals-with-a/) [Skeet Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skeet-ulrich/) > [It's a very, very rare moment when another actor hurts you. I mean, that's not normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katee-sackhoff/it-s-a-very-very-rare-moment-when-another-actor-hurts-you-i-mean-that/) [Katee Sackhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katee-sackhoff/) > [ Trying to stay in the moment as an actor and being really \[present in\] what you're doing and the scene that's going on and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/trying-to-stay-in-the-moment-as-an-actor-and-being-really-present-in/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) > [Be in the moment as an actor and as a human being, and you're going to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-webber/be-in-the-moment-as-an-actor-and-as-a-human-being-and-you-re-going-to/) [Mark Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-webber/) > [I don't watch rushes. My whole thing is to try to stay in the moment with the other actor, and to let it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/i-don-t-watch-rushes-my-whole-thing-is-to-try-to-stay-in-the-moment/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [You can have the most emotional moment as an actor, ever, and many people would be like, 'Okay, cool. What's next?' You land one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-cox/you-can-have-the-most-emotional-moment-as-an-actor-ever-and-many/) [Charlie Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-cox/) > [In solitude, at last, we’re able to let God define us the way we are always supposed to be defined—by relationship: the I-thou relationship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-solitude-at-last-we-re-able-to-let-god-define-us-the-way-we-are/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“A spark of every fire we seek is already within us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/a-spark-of-every-fire-we-seek-is-already-within-us/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [When one is frank, one's very presence is a compliment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/when-one-is-frank-one-s-very-presence-is-a-compliment/) [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) > [Racism has never been outright gone in the history of this nation, but I think we've had moments where everybody has been really fed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/racism-has-never-been-outright-gone-in-the-history-of-this-nation-but/) [Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/) > [“Only through absence can we understand presence, he told me, and I understood that by then. I understood it well. After”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-domet/only-through-absence-can-we-understand-presence-he-told-me-and-i/) [Sarah Domet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-domet/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) ## More by Zoe Saldana > [I like to look strong and commanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-like-to-look-strong-and-commanding/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [For the actor's wishes to be respected in terms of characteristics that your character's gonna have, you have to work with good and intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/for-the-actor-s-wishes-to-be-respected-in-terms-of-characteristics/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [I have been in relationships where a man has disrespected me, and I don't need to be friends with that man anymore. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-have-been-in-relationships-where-a-man-has-disrespected-me-and-i/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [On the basis of being a woman, by playing an alien, I avoid playing someone's girlfriend here on Earth because that's a bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/on-the-basis-of-being-a-woman-by-playing-an-alien-i-avoid-playing/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [In Caribbean there is no middle class: you're either rich or you're poor. And the ladder to success is not really a ladder, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/in-caribbean-there-is-no-middle-class-you-re-either-rich-or-you-re/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [I just want to be part of great stories that are told and for them to be relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-just-want-to-be-part-of-great-stories-that-are-told-and-for-them-to/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [I never really watched the TV series.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-never-really-watched-the-tv-series/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [I'm a girl from Queens. I've never gone, 'What am I doing today? Oh, I'm gonna grab a gun and learn how to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-m-a-girl-from-queens-i-ve-never-gone-what-am-i-doing-today-oh-i-m/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [I'm a very feminine person, but I have this hard shell, man, and I stay focused and don't take things personally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-m-a-very-feminine-person-but-i-have-this-hard-shell-man-and-i-stay/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [I think as an American society, when we're paying too many taxes or dealing with war, we don't want to see sad things at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-think-as-an-american-society-when-we-re-paying-too-many-taxes-or/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [I would love to play Nefertiti or Cleopatra or the Queen of Sheba. We preserve more male history than we do female. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-would-love-to-play-nefertiti-or-cleopatra-or-the-queen-of-sheba-we/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [I'm a fan of the fan. I'm a fan of the active devotee who lives his life believing in something, who represents to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-m-a-fan-of-the-fan-i-m-a-fan-of-the-active-devotee-who-lives-his/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [I have a hyper personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-have-a-hyper-personality/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [What doesn't feel okay to me, what feels a little bit out of balance, is when you want to turn yourself into something else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/what-doesn-t-feel-okay-to-me-what-feels-a-little-bit-out-of-balance/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [ You need one hundred percent commitment; you have to be willing to wake up every morning knowing you're going to \[practice\] eight hours straight. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/you-need-one-hundred-percent-commitment-you-have-to-be-willing-to/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) [Explore all 112 Zoe Saldana quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) ## 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": "There was this book that Judi Dench wrote that said there was a moment where, before an actor can be this or be that, the actor must simply be. I thought that to have absolute presence was to absorb everything that’s thrown at you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zoe Saldana" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrote-that-said-there-was-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrote-that-said-there-was-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/zoe-saldana-4335_actor_there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrot_2628542.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/zoe-saldana-4335_actor_there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrot_2628542.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/zoe-saldana-4335_actor_there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrot_2628542.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was this book that Judi Dench wrote that said there was a moment where, before an actor can be this or…” — Zoe Saldana", "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": "Zoe Saldana", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There was this book that Judi...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrote-that-said-there-was-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/there-was-this-book-that-judi-dench-wrote-that-said-there-was-a/#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 } } ] } ```