TO BE AN ACTOR

"An actor must interpret life and in order to do so

he must be willing to accept all experiences that life

has to offer. In fact he must seek out more of life than

life puts at his feet. In the short span of his lifetime an

actor must learn all there is to know, experience all there

is to experience or approach that state as closely as possible.

He must be super human in his efforts to store away in the

warehouse of his subconscious everything that he might be

called upon to use in this expression of his art. Nothing

should be more important to the artist than life and the living

of it, not even the ego. To grasp the full significance of life is

the actor's duty: to interpret it his problem; and to express it his

dedication. Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world. You

are all alone with your concentration and imagination, and that's

all you have. Being a good actor isn't easy. Being a man is even

harder. I want to be both before I'm done. "

James Dean