The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.
I didn’t go out looking for negative characters; I went out looking for people who have a struggle and a fight to tackle. That’s what interests me.
I know that obviously, that if you want to get the story, if you want to get close to somebody, if you want to find out what is really the truth or what’s really interesting, you have to create a trust between these two things, between the journalist and the subject.
Vanity is something that will only get in the way of doing your best work, and ultimately if you’re truly vain you care more about your work than how you look in your work. I actually consider myself a pretty vain guy when it comes to that.
Creating anything is hard.
To be loved, I think, is the thing that gets you up in the morning.
I have an awful memory, and I have a great memory. Meaning that, if I’m trying to remember something, I can’t remember it. But my recall is fantastic.
I think you should be serious about what you do because this is it. This is the only life you’ve got.
Study, find all the good teachers and study with them, get involved in acting to act, not to be famous or for the money. Do plays. It’s not worth it if you are just in it for the money. You have to love it.
When you see the carrot at the end of the stick, what do you do to get it? These kinds of things that come up, that come up in the story of Capote writing “In Cold Blood,” and when you see the movie, you’ll see what I’m talking about.
It’s important to say that actors can’t act alone, it’s impossible. What we have to do is support each other.
If I’m directing actors, I learn about acting that way. If I’m acting, I learn about directing that way. Producing is just something that’s come about because there’s projects I find interesting that I would like to help get done.
I know some really great actors who are pretty judgmental people, pretty critical people. But they’re great actors. When they’re acting, that’s the craft.
Actors are responsible to the people we play.
Success isn’t what makes you happy. It really isn’t. Success is doing what makes you happy and doing good work and hopefully having a fruitful life. If I’ve felt like I’ve done good work, that makes me happy. The success part of it is all gravy.
You have to have a personal connection. You have to really want to do it, because if you don’t, investing yourself personally, your thoughts, your emotions, yourself into a part, is something you’re not going to want to do as much.
In film, you have to let go sometimes.
I’m probably more personal when I’m acting than at any other time. More open, more direct. Because it allows me to be something that I can’t always feel comfortable with when I’m living my own life, you know? Because it’s make- believe.