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Acting is illusion, as much illusion as magic is — and not so much a matter of being real. I mean, I would probably shock Lee Strasberg.

— Laurence Olivier Famous Actors and Actresses on the American Stage (1975)

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More quotes by Laurence Olivier

Never. The shot is too big for the cannon.

I think that bloody old National nearly killed me.

If I wasn't an actor, I think I'd have gone mad. You have to have extra voltage, some extra temperament to reach certain heights. Art is a little bit larger than life — it's an exhalation of life and I think you probably need a little touch of madness.

Laurence Olivier (1979)

Like coming for a living.

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