The first long chapter of my career was almost entirely theater so that, by the time I was 30, 35, I sort of knew who I was as an actor, and I was gradually learning who I was as a human being.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the journey of self-discovery through the art of acting.
John Lithgow emphasizes the profound impact that a long career in theater had on his personal development. Through his experiences on stage, he not only honed his craft as an actor but also embarked on a parallel journey of understanding himself as a person. This relationship between art and personal growth showcases how creative professions can shape one's identity and life experiences.
In practice
This quote can be used during a speech at an acting workshop to inspire aspiring actors about the importance of personal growth through their art.
I do think - I always tell that to young people - go to college, do theater, work with an audience. Don't try to learn how to act in front of millions and millions of people. Don't make that your first ambition, to be on a sitcom or get into the movies. Learn who you are as an actor, and the best way to do that is to do it in front of an audience.
If you're an actor, you tend to fool yourself into thinking you're much younger than you are because you're playing parts and behaving like a child all the time.
It's wonderful to play a villain who gets a laugh or to stop a comedy dead in its tracks with a touching moment. It's kind of like a symphony that has very different movements.
I am a storyteller, and the stories I tell are, when I'm lucky, really good ones. It's a very exciting thing to do with your life, and that's, I think, what keeps me hopeful.
One of the things you learn as an actor is that human beings are capable of almost anything. I'm sort of in the business of illustrating that fact.
The essence of comedy, drama, and horror is surprise. I have an uncanny ability to surprise people because they look at my face, and they don't know where I'm going.
I don't start with a color order, but find the colors as I go.
Above all, a well-imagined story is organized around extraordinary human behaviors and unexpected and startling events, which help illuminate the commonplace and the ordinary.
If you don't know what to play, play nothing.
Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate.
..I wanted to create music that was so different that my mother could tell me from anyone else
Art is always about overcoming obstacles between the inner condition and the skill for expression.
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