A conversation with Maia Morgenstern prompted interesting reflections about what it means to be an actor. In it, subjects such as fear, motivation, desire, and even the differences between stage and film acting are touched upon. We explore both surface matters as well as profound and extremely sensitive aspects about the actor in general and his instrument. Maia Morgenstern is a celebrated theatre and film actress, known for theatre productions such as An Antique Trilogy (Andrei Șerban, 1990) and films such as The Oak (Lucian Pintilie, 1992) and The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson, 2003).

Keywords: theatre, film, actor, performer, body, motivation, emotion.