billy merritt on acting

J: How has acting influenced you as an improviser? B: I have to go back and re-think that every now and then. I’ll re-read the same book every three months, Michael Shertloff’s ‘Audition’ book. And I go ‘oh, that’s what he’s saying. How does that apply to improv?’ So, it’s a huge [influence]. I don’t think I’m that good of an actor. I play a big actor game, but I don’t think I’m that good of an actor. But I appreciate the artform, and I think it’s all about …acting is listening. Acting is a sense of being. So, once you’ve got structure and game, and you know how to do improv, it’s just acting. That’s what it is. Acting is the art of imitating life. It’s not imitating life. There’s an art form to it. And that’s what’s fun. http://www.improvinterviews.com/2006/11/billy-merrit-3606-part-2.html