... unless the actor is able to discourse most eloquently without opening his lips, he lacks the prime essential of a finished artist.
The actor should not play a part. Like the Aeolian harps that used to be hung in the trees to be played only by the breeze, the actor should be an instrument played upon by the character he depicts.
The actor can be compared to the soldier. The former dazzled by his triumphs, sighs continually for the struggles of stage- life; the latter filled with the glory he has acquired on the battlefield, cannot resign himself to peace.
The actor is too prone to exaggerate his powers; he wants to play Hamlet when his appearance is more suitable to King Lear.
An actor who knows his business ought to be able to make the London telephone directory sound enthralling.