... Actors Of The First Water Are

I Have Often Been Asked Why I Am So Fond Of Playing Male Parts. As A Matter Of Fact, It Is Not Male Parts, But Male Brains That I Prefer.

To Be A Good Actor... It Is Necessary To Have A Firmly Tempered Soul, To Be Surprised At Nothing, To Resume Each Minute The Laborious Task That Has Barely Just Been Finished.

We Must Live For The Few Who Know And Appreciate Us, Who Judge And Absolve Us, And For Whom We Have The Same Affection And Indulgence. The Rest I Look Upon As A Mere Crowd, Lively Or Sad, Loyal Or Corrupt, From Whom There Is Nothing To Be Expected But Fleeting Emotions, Either Pleasant Or Unpleasant, Which Leave No Trace Behind Them.

Once The Curtain Is Raised, The Actor Is Ceases To Belong To Himself. He Belongs To His Character, To His Author, To His Public. He Must Do The Impossible To Identify Himself With The First, Not To Betray The Second, And Not To Disappoint The Third.

He Who Is Incapable Of Feeling Strong Passions, Of Being Shaken By Anger, Of Living In Every Sense Of The Word, Will Never Be A Good Actor.