What I love about my work is the variety and not knowing what’s coming next, and being able to embrace something for a period of time and know something new is going to follow. – Rose McIver
I really like questions. I like people who write scripts because they’re asking questions, not because they’re giving answers. It’s something that I look for. – Rose McIver
I had to do a Northern England accent once, and I didn’t have much time, so I went and pored through YouTube. There are all sorts of resources out there. The Internet has made that much more affordable. Don’t break your neck to spend your money. – Rose McIver
If you’re small and can speak clearly and you’re a cute kid, that’s the craft, really. The whole child actor thing can be dangerous sometimes. Other kids were taking piano lessons; I did ballet and acting. – Rose McIver
I do think of myself very strongly as a New Zealander, but when I moved out to the States, I was aware that I didn’t want to just live in a satellite community of only other New Zealanders. – Rose McIver
Say a piece of pottery is broken, and it’s fixed, and they use gold in the adhesive and in the sealant. It becomes more precious than it was before it was broken in the first place. – Rose McIver
Since I was growing up in New Zealand where there’s a hole in the ozone layer above us, we get so much sun damage to our skin, and the thing we can do to look after ourselves is use sunscreen during the day, but making sure your skin is well hydrated while you sleep. – Rose McIver
The reason I feel like I act is because you get to live a million different lives in one. I don’t have to go about my life, just being easy-going New Zealander Rose. Sometimes I can inhabit a feisty, vicious character. Sometimes I can inhabit a painfully shy British girl, or whatever it might be. – Rose McIver
I bring ideas to set, and I’m more than willing for those to be affected and be malleable based on what the other person gives me. I don’t know what another actor is going to give me, on the day, and I don’t want to be so hard and fast in my technique that I’m not open to what’s coming. – Rose McIver
I don’t really have a drive toward being a director at all. Not that I wouldn’t rule it out, but I just don’t think my instincts lie necessarily in a very visual way. But I am very interested in storytelling, narrative and character development, so writing is something that I absolutely want to do. – Rose McIver
My motivation is to get a deeper understanding and exploration of something that I want to know about the human condition. So, that’s what I look for in the material I read: if it’s asking a genuine question about a concept of the world that interests me. And also, it helps if it’s a context that I find interesting. – Rose McIver
I love having the laid-back, easy-going, family-priority nature of New Zealand, but I’m certainly enjoying the States in terms of the career opportunities and the enthusiasm I get to find work. – Rose McIver
When I was about five, I could do a vaguely decent American accent – straight through kind of decent – and ‘Hercules’ needed some kids. I definitely wasn’t a good actor. – Rose McIver
My school of thought with going into a character is that you have to understand where they come from, and you have to empathize with them. – Rose McIver
There is humor in the darkest of moments – People who I have loved and passed away, and very high stake situations where you can’t help but laugh. I think that’s very human. – Rose McIver
My brother was scouted for a commercial when he was three, and it was just because he could speak clearly and was well behaved, basically. I don’t think he had any amazing acting ability at that age – although he is actually a great actor. – Rose McIver
I’ve done a lot of drama, and as a lifestyle, going to work and laughing every day is just great. It’s great for your mental health, and it’s great for setting up a nice year. – Rose McIver
Being given a terrible piece of information shouldn’t ruin the interactions you have with the people around you or mean that you can’t become something, even if it’s not the idea of what you thought you were going to be. – Rose McIver
I’ve been very lucky with my career and don’t feel like I’m being typecast in the same role over and over again. – Rose McIver
We can get carried away with our heads in books, and although there’s so much to be learned from that, I think sitting in a cafe and speaking with someone – whatever it is, their mannerisms, their choices, are just as valuable as any class you can go to. – Rose McIver
The great thing about being an actor in a film is that you’re able to start knowing exactly where you’re going to finish and really paint something in between. You can work to know the arc you need to build. Whereas in television, it is open-ended, and you’re constantly guessing. There are pros and cons to both. – Rose McIver
When you overcome a profound loss, or there’s some catalyst in your life that shifts everything, if you’re able to take it in stride and heal, it can make for much more three-dimensional and empathetic people. – Rose McIver
The best way to study to be an actor is to interact genuinely with the people around you and observe and listen. – Rose McIver
I always think about the settlers who moved to New Zealand in the 1800s. They hadn’t even been to the place before. They just packed their bags and shipped over knowing they’d never see their family again or be able to speak to them – they’d maybe get a letter if they were lucky. – Rose McIver
Really, I’m never much of a goal-setter. Whenever I’ve tried to make big, solid plans, they don’t happen. I’m more into whatever the circumstances are that present themselves, making wise decisions around that. – Rose McIver
