"I'm so uncomfortable, especially in emotional situations, having to say sentences that don't feel right. As an actor - or really, as any kind of person sensitive to it"
About this Quote
Her discomfort is pointedly linguistic: "having to say sentences that don't feel right". That phrasing cuts against the popular fantasy that acting is just channeling emotion. For her, the friction is between text and body, between the socially correct line and the internally true one. In emotional situations, people often reach for scripted language ("I'm fine", "I get it", "I'm sorry for your loss") because it's safe. Potente is admitting she can't always tolerate that safety; the script feels like betrayal. That's a quietly radical stance in an industry built on making unnatural lines sound natural.
The subtext is also about power. Actors are routinely asked to inhabit words written by someone else, shaped by directors, producers, and the invisible calculus of audience expectation. Saying what "doesn't feel right" becomes a miniature version of a bigger compromise: whose emotions get prioritized, whose voice gets smoothed out, whose authenticity is negotiable.
Contextually, it lands as a refusal of the "easy vulnerability" brand. She's not performing sensitivity; she's describing its cost.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Potente, Franka. (2026, January 15). I'm so uncomfortable, especially in emotional situations, having to say sentences that don't feel right. As an actor - or really, as any kind of person sensitive to it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-so-uncomfortable-especially-in-emotional-169885/
Chicago Style
Potente, Franka. "I'm so uncomfortable, especially in emotional situations, having to say sentences that don't feel right. As an actor - or really, as any kind of person sensitive to it." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-so-uncomfortable-especially-in-emotional-169885/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'm so uncomfortable, especially in emotional situations, having to say sentences that don't feel right. As an actor - or really, as any kind of person sensitive to it." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-so-uncomfortable-especially-in-emotional-169885/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.

