"An actor is an actor is an actor. The less personality an actor has off stage the better. A blank canvas on which to draw the characters he plays"
- Arthur Lowe
About this Quote
This quote by Arthur Lowe suggests that an actor should not bring their own character to the stage. Instead, they must be a blank canvas, permitting them to take on the characters they are playing. Lowe thinks that the less character a star has off phase, the better they will be able to depict the characters they are playing. He is suggesting that an actor should not be restricted by their own personality, however must have the ability to take on any character they are given. Lowe is stressing the value of an actor's ability to transform into different characters, which this change needs to be done without any presumptions of the character. He is suggesting that an actor ought to be able to take on any role, no matter their own personality, which this is the key to effective acting.
"From beginning to end it's about keeping the energy and the intensity of the story and not doing too much and not doing too little, but just enough so people stay interested and stay involved in the characters"
"They weren't impatient for the boys to turn into cartoons again. They awarded sympathy, gave compassion. Because deep down they had found parts of themselves in the characters. You said it George"
"And I have to credit David Jacobs with the opportunities he gave me. He was totally into sharing the creation of characters. David put together a show that told the story of people over many years' time and that was greatly enjoyable. Though nowadays that is frowned upon"
"I plot the first 5 or 6 chapters quite minutely, and also the end. So I know where I am going but not how I'm going to get there, which gives characters the chance to develop organically, as happens in real life as you get to know a person"
"I think for anybody reading the book they're going to get an idea in their heads of all those characters, and I think that once that gets fixed, it's quite hard to shake"
"Because they feel that without them telling you to do this, you wouldn't have had the characters that you have, you wouldn't have the book that you have"
"I don't understand labels. I don't need anybody to tell me I'm Latina or black or anything else. I've played characters that were written for Caucasian females, I just want to be given the same consideration as everybody else, and so far that has been happening"
