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Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon Quotes

Screenwriter

Joss Whedon, born on June 23, 1964, is a renowned American screenwriter. His works are known for their unique narrative style and profound character development, with notable contributions to series like 'The Avengers' franchise, 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.', and 'Big Hero 6'.

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Famous Joss Whedon Quotes

“Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.”

Writing Stories Dark Humour Perspective Joke

Author:Joss Whedon

“We'll never make Firefly again, because that was a thing that existed and is now gone. And Serenity isn't Firefly, and whatever comes next won't be, either. But I would love to tell more stories of this universe and to hang out with these people on and off for the rest of my career.”

People Stories Universe Next Careers Gone Hanging Out Serenity And Off Firefly

Author:Joss Whedon

“I really love `Serenity.' I'm really proud of it and excited to see it my guys on the big screen, bringing something new to it. But `Firefly' was a different animal, something I will regret losing until the day they put me in a box, because I did have a lot of good stories I wanted to tell.”

Different Stories Bigs Wanted Guy Animal Regret Proud Losing Boxes Excited Screens Something New Serenity Good Story Firefly Big Screen Different Animals

Author:Joss Whedon

“I'm the least confident person in so many ways. But I believed that if somebody gave me the chance to tell a story, I would tell a story [well enough] that the person who gave me the chance would get their money back.”

Ifs Way Writing Wells Persons Enough Stories Chance

Author:Joss Whedon

“The goal is always about the next story. It's always about the thing I haven't done before. It's about learning, or it's about becoming better, and it's about whatever story grabs hold of me.”

Done Stories Next Goal Havens Becoming Becoming Better

Author:Joss Whedon

“I think Spider-Man [film], the first one particularly, really figured out the formula of, "Oh, tell the story that they told in the comic. It was compelling. That's why it's iconic."”

Thinking Men Firsts Stories Film Comic Formulas Compelling Spiders Iconic Spider Man

Author:Joss Whedon

“I'm more intrigued by things that I haven't really conceived of yet. I have the luxury of being able to think: "I've never done a ballet or an animated film myself." There are certain things that I feel I'd love to. I just want to keep trying new things and seeing if I'm any good at them, and if I'm not, then at least learning that. I definitely think I'm more interested in what medium I can explore right now than any specific story.”

Ifs Thinking Want Feels Trying I Can Done Stories Able Film Certain Seeing Havens Right Now Mediums Luxury Ballet New Things Animated Keep Trying Intrigued Trying New Things Animated Films

Author:Joss Whedon

“No one's going to go see the story of Othello going to get a peaceful divorce.”

Stories Divorce Peaceful

Author:Joss Whedon

“What you cut out becomes part of the story you tell.”

Stories Cutting

Author:Joss Whedon

“The fact of the matter is fame predates even the age of cinema. There's always been fame, there's always been the caveman who's prettier or killed a bigger lion, or somebody started a story about a guy.”

Matter Facts Stories Age Guy Fame Bigger Cinema Lions

Author:Joss Whedon

“The fact that a TV star can become president should be old news since [Ronald] Reagan, and old news since the Nixon-Kennedy debates - which the famous story, whether or not you agree, is that if you listened on the radio, Nixon won; if you listened on TV, Kennedy won.”

Ifs Should Facts Stories Stars President Tvs News Agree Radio Debate Old News

Author:Joss Whedon

“There was a time before I felt I was a real writer, when I was a yarn spinner and I just wanted to tell story until it was over. But then there came a time where I was like, 'No, I want to understand something through writing this that I might have not understood before. I want people to come away with something to think about.'”

People Thinking Want Writing Real Stories Might Wanted Felt Understood Yarn Spinner

Author:Joss Whedon

“I don't have a particular ambition in any medium. I just want to keep telling stories. If somebody pays me, also good.”

Ifs Want Stories Pay Particular Ambition Mediums Telling Stories

Author:Joss Whedon

“As far as I am concerned, the first episode of Buffy was the beginning of my career. It was the first time I told a story from start to finish the way I wanted.”

Way Firsts Stories Wanted Careers First Time Concerned Episodes

Author:Joss Whedon

“I think everyone who makes movies should be forced to do television. Because you have to finish. You have to get it done, and there are a lot of decisions made just for the sake of making decisions. You do something because it's efficient and because it gets the story told and it connects to the audience.”

Thinking Should Made Done Stories Decision Audience Television Sake Movie Efficient Making Decisions Get It Done Decisions Made

Author:Joss Whedon

“I tend to tell stories that have a lot of momentum; it's not like 'and then months later...' I like things where the momentum of one action rolls into the next one so everything is the sum of that.”

Stories Action Next Months Momentum The Next One

Author:Joss Whedon

“There's a reason Tony Stark makes fun of 'Thor,' and mentions 'Shakespeare' in the park in 'The Avengers.' It's great to play high drama and comedy alongside a modern story.”

Reason Play Stories Fun Comedy Modern Drama Parks Starks Avengers

Author:Joss Whedon

“When you’re telling a story, you’re trying to connect to people in a particular way … The way in which you guys have inhabited this world, this universe, has made you part of it, part of the story. You are living in Firefly. When I see you guys, I don’t think the show is off the air. I don’t think there’s a show; I think that’s what the world is like. … The story is our lives.”

People Thinking World Way Trying Made Stories Shows Guy Universe Our Lives Air This World Particular Firefly

Author:Joss Whedon

“Everything we do really is just a little marker on the long road to death. And sometimes that’s overwhelmingly depressing to me, and sometimes it makes me feel kinship and forgiveness. We’ve all got the same ending to the story. The way we make that story more elaborate, I got to respect.”

Way Feels Littles Long Sometimes Stories Depressing Kinship Markers Long Road

Author:Joss Whedon

“If something isn't working, if you have a story that you've built and it's blocked and you can't figure it out, take your favorite scene, or your very best idea or set-piece, and cut it. It's brutal, but sometimes inevitable.”

Ifs Writing Ideas Sometimes Stories Pieces Cutting Figures Scene Built Inevitable Brutal Blocked Your Favorite

Author:Joss Whedon

“Stories come from violence, they come from sex. They come from death. They come from the dark places that everyone has to go to, kind of wants to, or doesn't, but needs to deal with. If you raise a kid to think everything is sunshine and flowers, they're going to get into the real world and die. That's the reason fairy tales are so creepy, because we need to encapsulate these things, to inoculate ourselves against them, so that when we're confronted by the genuine horror that is day-to-day life we don't go insane.”

“This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youths – just because they can't think of an original idea of their own, like I did with my Avengers idea that I made up myself.”

People Thinking Made Ideas Stories Youth Reflection Originals Beloved Our Time Original Ideas Avengers

Author:Joss Whedon

About the Author

Born: June 23, 1964
Known for: Screenwriter
Quotes: 410

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