Mare Winningham and Tennessee Williams
Mare Winningham is playing Amanda in a stage production of Tennessee Williams’ classic ‘The Glass Menagerie’ at the Old Globe in San Diego. In an interview, she commented about how rare it has been to find such deep, complex roles.
“Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but so often during the last 30 [...]

Gabriel Byrne on auditions
“It’s important to present oneself as relaxed and confident..”
Gabriel Byrne commented that the audition process “is really a most inadequate way to determine if an actor is right or not for a particular role. Unfortunately, it’s a situation that most actors have to accept.
“Work on developing an unshakable trust in yourself and [...]

In his article The Art of Making Meaning [a summary of his podcast], creativity coach and author Eric Maisel speaks about a client of his:
“Jack, an actor, had excellent verbal skills but a poor physical presence on stage.
“With my help, he decided that he had to take responsibility for that aspect of his career and [...]

It’s a compulsion
Toni Collette ["Little Miss Sunshine" and many other films] just wants to be “turned on” as an actor. “I’ve been doing it [acting] for half my life now and life’s too short to put your energy into something that you don’t believe in, that you don’t find entertaining yourself or doesn’t speak to [...]

Nervous excitement
“With any film and even theater, you never get over being scared and overwhelmed, because it’s a new character and that brings on a whole new set of circumstances.”
Alison Lohman is talking about one form of anxiety that actors experience, and may try to avoid or stifle.
But there can be value in that kind [...]

Out of the comfort zone
Many people, maybe most, want to avoid anxiety, fear and other “stressful” feelings. Except for the occasional roller coaster ride.
But talented actors (and other artists) often use those kinds of feelings to guide and energize their work.
Julia Stiles [left] says she chooses projects based on “ways I need to be stretched [...]