“Preparation, preparation, preparation, preparation, preparation, let go. And that generally works.” - Ethan Hawke, actor
“I do map out the performance in some way just so that it’s ingrained in me. […] But I also think it’s about throwing it all out the window at the end of the day.” - Kirsten Dunst, actor
“You always have to prepare. And you have to have your shit together. And then go into a situation, when you’ve done then that gives you the freedom to throw it out the window and play.” - Conan O’Brien, comedian
“It’s somewhere in-between conscious and deliberate. So that’s the space as an artist or actor you try to live in. Basically, you meditate on the themes of the piece […] and then when you arrive and action is called, you try to surf on your unconscious thought” - Oscar Isaac, actor
“I do all of my prep but I honestly think that my body always has far better ideas than my head does. So I just hope that all the prep that I’ve done will see me through.” - Mia Goth, actor
“The advantage of doing this research is when you do have to draw, boom, you’re there. Because you programmed yourself. However short or long time you’ve got.” - Richard Williams, animation director
“As Lee Strasberg said to me when I came late and I didn’t know my words ‘darling, the best thing you can do in acting is learn the words’. He’s totally right, because once you learn your words, you can forget them.” - Al Pacino, actor
“You do all the work you can, you think about it, you prepare. But at the end of the day, you want to have the grace of uncertainty be your accomplice” - Colin Farrell, actor
“One thing I would always have a habit of doing is coming in with my preparation. Coming in very balanced. Solid. And one thing that Penny Allen taught me was “No. You get that prepared. Now come in on one leg. Because what we want to see in life is someone find their balance in a scene.’ - Matthew McConaughey, actor
Sometimes (good times!) the things I find echo each other, other times these ideas are so succinct that I animate them. A year ago I saved the first “prepare then let go” quote and the stack kept growing. It grew to seven, so it made sense to round them up here. Frees me up to animate different ones now!
Most of these are originally from one of my favorite follows on Instagram, Les Chantery Studio.
Until another Friday soon,
Gergo