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If I were to play somebody who ran a fish and chip shop, I would not work in a fish and chip shop for three months. Staring at chips is not going to help me in my performance.

Ben Kingsley

I’ve met quite a number of people in my career, but I do have an extraordinary memory. And even though they may drift into the periphery of my memory, I can bring them right back when I need them.
BEN KINGSLEY

Careers Memories Numbers
I don’t honestly think people know what acting is.
BEN KINGSLEY

Acting People Thinking
I’m open to any project, but my joyful projects are those through which I can say something and through which I can speak to the an audience of people in the world, and I can be that vehicle through which something can be said, I find that entirely thrilling and joyful.
BEN KINGSLEY

People Speak World
I’m so dependent on reacting to the other actors on the set, and to the director. I’m very responsive. I react. And I treasure the energy that reaction gives.
BEN KINGSLEY

Directors Energy Giving
The hierarchy of class in London was rigid. It was like a religion. It still is to a certain extent.
BEN KINGSLEY

Class Hierarchy London
If the director wishes to print it, then you have a series of choices, maybe millions of choices within that minute-and-a-half, or 80 seconds, or 2 minutes or however long or short the take is, you have all those choices committed to celluloid. I find that absolutely thrilling.
BEN KINGSLEY

Choices Long Wish
There have not been any troughs as regards my work. There’s never been a trough of my assurance.
BEN KINGSLEY

Assurance Regard Trough
There are some directors, lesser in confidence or skill, who make the actor feel very uncomfortable because you feel you’re auditioning for them, every day, and that’s a terrible feeling on the set.
BEN KINGSLEY

Director Feelings Skills
Shock is shock. Your body goes into shock, regardless of it being real blood or fake blood. The mind sends powerful messages to all the various glands and secretions in the body. It’s impossible trying to act it; it just happens. It’s a very important question: no acting.
BEN KINGSLEY

Blood Powerful Real
Fifteen years before I became a screen actor, I was in the theatre. A lot of my work was comedy, which I loved doing. It’s harder.
BEN KINGSLEY

Actors Theatre Years
I think Romeo and Juliet is uplifting. That’s how much a son wishes to avenge his father. That is how much two young people can love each other.
BEN KINGSLEY

Father Son Uplifting
In cinema, the leading player is the director.
BEN KINGSLEY

Cinema Directors Player
When I choose a role it’s either because I recognise the man, or that I’m very curious to know him. If I neither recognise nor know him, then it is better that I don’t play him.
BEN KINGSLEY

Men Play Roles
I do believe female directors, as well as our female writer, can bring out male vulnerability that some men can’t because they can’t face it.
BEN KINGSLEY

Believe Female Men Writers
With narration, you have to be very accurate with your voice. It’s a good exercise to do.
BEN KINGSLEY

Accurate Exercise Voice
That hunger of the flesh, that longing for ease, that terror of incarceration, that insistence on tribal honour being obeyed: all of that exists, and it exists everywhere.
BEN KINGSLEY

Ease Flesh Longing
The camera does not like acting. The camera is only interested in filming behaviour. So you damn well learn your lines until you know them inside out, while standing on your head!
BEN KINGSLEY

Acting Camera Doe
Family is family over the internet, over Skype, over the telephone. Love is love. You don’t have to actually go through some ritual to prove that you love somebody.
BEN KINGSLEY

Family Internet Love Skype Telephone You
Hamlet is an astonishing intelligence.
BEN KINGSLEY

Astonishing Hamlet Intelligence
I think that you can fall into bad habits with comedy… It’s a tightrope to stay true to the character, true to the irony, and allow the irony to happen.
BEN KINGSLEY

Character Fall Thinking
I think that various styles and methods and approaches are an invention of people who don’t understand the process of acting and who try very hard to label things.
BEN KINGSLEY

People Style Thinking
I try and reduce myself to an almost blank slate and hope to God that I am creative.
BEN KINGSLEY

Creative Creativity Trying
Millions of children are disempowered and we need to empower them.
BEN KINGSLEY

Children Empowering Needs
I just loved playing a man who was unafraid of making an idiot of himself in the process of falling in love. I found that admirable.
BEN KINGSLEY

Falling Idiot Love Men
I always try to find something I admire about every character I play.
BEN KINGSLEY

Character Play Trying
I was fortunate as a young actor, to go straight to the RSC, where I learned that being an actor can bring with it wonderful responsibilities.
BEN KINGSLEY

Actors Responsibility Wonderful
When Attenborough asked me to do Gandhi it was almost like stepping off one boat and stepping on to another, even though both boats are going at 60 miles per hour.
BEN KINGSLEY

Boat Hours Miles

If I were to play somebody who ran a fish and chip shop, I would not work in a fish and chip shop for three months. Staring at chips is not going to help me in my performance.

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If I were to play somebody who ran a fish and chip shop, I would not work in a fish and chip shop for three months. Staring at chips is not going to help me in my performance.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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