Beyond the Frame

But I always seek projects that I just love the writing, because the good writing on a project will alleviate the need for an actor to act. I remember one of the great things I read about David Mamet saying was that an actor doesn’t really need to act - that a good film with good writing and good direction, you could almost like a fucking mannequin there and there will be an emotional journey. And we should be able to march around being very po faced and not act the shit out of every scene you know. Actors want to act, actors want to emote. It’s like the emotional equivalent of tearing your shirt off and screaming to the heavens; you want to express and you want to be seen to be expressing. And that is an urge and it exists in most actors I’m sure, but when a great writer gives you a great piece, then they navigate for you in a way what needs to happen and then you just stay true to each moment. Otherwise, an actor finds themselves feeling responsible for writing the journey. And I think an actor in many ways should just be like getting on a well plotted cruise, if you’re lucky

~ Australian actor Joel Edgerton in the Hollywood Reporter