They say you can't study Kabbalah until you are at least 40 years old. You know why? You have to have experienced at least one generation making the same mistakes as the previous one.
David MametRead
The study of acting consists in the main of getting out of one’s own way, and in learning to deal with uncertainty and being comfortable being uncomfortable.
Interpretation
Acting is about transcending personal boundaries and embracing discomfort to grow.
David Mamet's quote emphasizes that the essence of acting lies in overcoming personal barriers and learning to navigate uncertainty. It suggests that true growth as an actor, and perhaps in life, comes from stepping outside of one's comfort zone and embracing the challenges that arise in the pursuit of meaningful expression.
In practice
During an acting workshop, I shared this quote to inspire the students to embrace their fears and uncertainties.
They say you can't study Kabbalah until you are at least 40 years old. You know why? You have to have experienced at least one generation making the same mistakes as the previous one.
My alma mater is the Chicago Public Library. I got what little educational foundation I got in the third-floor reading room, under the tutelage of a Coca-Cola sign.
You know, young actors say all the time, 'Should I use my own life experience?' And my response is, 'What choice do you have?'
It's hard for a Jew of my generation, an American Jew, who is philo-Zionistic, not to romanticize Israel.
You can't write about history without writing about politics at some point. History is about movements of people. 'What is criminality and what is government' is a theme that runs through every history.
Every reiteration of the idea that nothing matters debases the human spirit.
Art would be useless if the world were perfect.
The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken.
As long as there are musicians who have a passion for spontaneity, for creating something thats never been before, the art form of jazz will flourish.
There is something about a poet which leads us to believe that he died, in many cases, as long as 20 years before his birth.
A film like Hoop Dreams is what the movies are for. It takes us, shakes us, and makes us think in new ways about the world around us. It gives us the impression of having touched life itself.
A picture is nothing but a bridge between the soul of the artist and that of the spectator.
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