"I think acting is about forgetting yourself in order to give the best of yourself. It's passing through you more than you're creating it. You're not the flower, but the vase which holds the flower"
About this Quote
Her language is deliberately spiritual without going mystical. "Passing through you" suggests the actor as conduit: porous, receptive, disciplined enough to let something uncontrollable arrive on cue. That quietly pushes back against the myth of the actor as auteur of emotion, the genius who manufactures tears at will. Binoche isn't denying craft; she's relocating it. The craft is the creation of conditions - attention, technique, trust - where truth can land.
The flower-and-vase image is a neat act of self-demotion with a sting of pride. A vase is not nothing. It has shape, weight, taste, and it decides what can be held. In other words: the actor's body, voice, timing, and restraint are the form that allows the character (or the moment) to be seen. Subtext: the actor serves the work, but service is its own kind of authorship.
Context matters here: Binoche's career has moved fluidly between auteur cinema and mainstream films, often under directors who prize naturalism and interiority. Her metaphor flatters that tradition while reminding us that "vanishing" on screen is rarely accidental; it's a practiced surrender.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Binoche, Juliette. (2026, January 17). I think acting is about forgetting yourself in order to give the best of yourself. It's passing through you more than you're creating it. You're not the flower, but the vase which holds the flower. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-acting-is-about-forgetting-yourself-in-55679/
Chicago Style
Binoche, Juliette. "I think acting is about forgetting yourself in order to give the best of yourself. It's passing through you more than you're creating it. You're not the flower, but the vase which holds the flower." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-acting-is-about-forgetting-yourself-in-55679/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I think acting is about forgetting yourself in order to give the best of yourself. It's passing through you more than you're creating it. You're not the flower, but the vase which holds the flower." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-acting-is-about-forgetting-yourself-in-55679/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.






