“In so many roles I've played the outsider. As an outsider, you have more energy to succeed simply because you are an outsider. There are scripts floating around but they're not coming my way and I think that I am getting a little bit too old to play Napoleon. But if I was ever offered the role I would grab it.” IfsThinkingWayLittlesPlayEnergyBitsRolesSucceedLittle BitScriptsMy WayOutsidersFloating Author:David Suchet
“When I wrote Chuky script, I was a student at UCLA, an undergraduate and my biggest aspiration for it was that I would get my foot in a door somewhere, that I would get an agent or something and it was just beyond my wildest dreams that this big-time producer, David Kirschner.” DreamBigsDoorsFeetStudentsScriptsProducersAgentsAspirationUclaWildest DreamsUndergraduate Author:David Kirschner
“My mom is a script supervisor. It's like the family business. It never had that feeling of entertainment. It was always more like, "Eh, it's just a movie," with that crew mentality, which is, "We've done it before and we can do it again."” DoneFeelingsCan DoMomScriptsEntertainmentMy MomMentalityCrewSupervisors Author:Kristen Stewart
“I want a script to affect me in some way. I am usually drawn to character studies, scripts about real people and the world we live in not some fantasy.” PeopleWorldWayWantRealCharacterFantasyStudyScripts Author:Roger Deakins
“I'm a great fan of Michael Mann and when he asked to see me I couldn't believe it. I was very happy. I met him and I read this beautiful script. I didn't know anything about Dillinger. I fell in love with the movie and Michael Mann.” KnowsBelieveBeautifulFansMetsScriptsVery HappyGreat Fans Author:Marion Cotillard
“Diablo Cody wasn't writing a script about a 16-year girl that got an abortion. She was writing a script about a 16-year old girl that got pregnant, decided to have the baby and give it to a young yuppy uptight couple for adoption. That's what the movie is about.” GivingWritingYearsYoungGirlBabyCoupleDecidedScriptsAbortionPregnantAdoptionUptight Author:Ellen Page
“I didn't even think about it when I read the script and then shooting their movie and someone was like "boy, press is going to be fun". And I didn't really know what they were talking about because to me it's just a film shows it as an extremely viable option which is obviously the most important thing for young individuals.” ThinkingKnowsImportantShowsFilmYoungIndividualFunTalkingBoysImportant ThingsPressesScriptsShooting Author:Ellen Page
“You liked the freshness of it, c'mon try it" and I said "oh God, I read it three of four times" and finally I said "all right, I want you guys to organize a reading and I want you to be there to see how terrible this is not going to work at all", so we had a table like this, and read the script, and it was just great.” WantTryingSaidGuyThreeReadingFourTerribleTablesScriptsI Want YouOrganizeGoing To WorkFreshness Author:Jeff Bridges
“You have that Frank Capra kind of side to it and the characters are really well drawn, so I think everybody tried their best to stay faithful to the script.” ThinkingWellsKindCharacterSidesScriptsFaithfulFrank Author:Jeff Bridges
“When you try to be true to the script, changes occur. A script is there to show us a certain direction. But when you actually have the actors in and you start shooting the movie, you have the actor say a line and it doesn't sound right so you change it and make it different. It's the script that gives birth to these changes and the more you try to stay true to the script, the more that happens.” GivingTryingDifferentShowsHappensCertainActorsSoundLinesBirthScriptsBeing TrueShootingStay True Author:Takashi Miike
“Just play the moment, that's the fun of it. You just play the moment. It's great writing and very clever writing, I think it's witty. And I have those great clothes. You have a great, witty, intelligent script and you look like a million dollars, because we have a great costumer, and it's a pretty good place to begin.” ThinkingWritingLooksPlayMomentsFunMillionsClothesIntelligentDollarsScriptsWittyCleverMillion DollarsGood PlaceGreat WritingVery Clever Author:Glenn Close
“It's really hard to find stuff that is original. You pick up scripts and in four pages you know where it's going and the same thing when you are sitting in a theatre, I just rejoice when something unfolds in a way that I'm not conducive.” KnowsWayHardStuffFourPagesPicksSittingOriginalsScriptsTheatreRejoice Author:Susan Sarandon
“If you just read Joseph Campbell, who has written amazing books on mythology and religion, they all do come together at some point. There are some of the greatest stories that there have ever been in the Bible. All you have to do is read the book of Maccabi, it's like a film script.” IfsBookStoriesTogetherFilmWrittenScriptsMythologyAmazing Book Author:Mel Gibson
“There are certain things that I will do viscerally to affect people emotionally, with speed changes and sound, and various other things. Sure there are links; the same kind of sensibilities went into it and I worked on writing that script as well so there was an emphasis on a minimalisation of dialogue as far as possible, to focus on the visual and to put it in another language, of course.” PeopleWritingWellsKindCertainCoursesLanguageSoundFocusScriptsVariousSpeedDialogueVisualsLinksSensibilityEmphasis Author:Mel Gibson
“I've done films where you have to get in shape for purely vanity reasons, when you read a script, turn to page 87 and it says: "Rips his shirt off and casually throws it onto chair" - and you're going to go to the gym the next day because nobody wants to see your big fat arse out there taking your shirt off!” WantReasonDoneBigsFilmTurnsNextShapesPagesScriptsFatsVanityShirtsChairsGymNext DayRipArsesShirt OffGetting In Shape Author:Bruce Willis
“It depends on the scripts and the character and just everybody involved, the other actors and directors. It's just a gut feeling when you find something, you're like, 'Yes, I want to sink my teeth into that.'” WantCharacterFeelingsActorsDependsInvolvedDirectorsScriptsTeethGutsGut Feelings Author:Mandy Moore
“I went to Art College and during the summer I made a movie with my brother. I got hold of a little camera, wrote a script and dragged my brother, Tony, out of bed to help me (which he did not like), so that we could shoot a film every day for six weeks. It was made for £65 and it was called Boy On A Bicycle.” LittlesArtMadeHelpingFilmBoysWeekCollegeBrotherBedSixSummerCamerasScriptsMy BrotherHelp MeBicycle Author:Ridley Scott
“I would like to do a lot more of it, I feel comfortable with it and basically it's all in the writing. I'm not a personality type actor, I need a good script in order to be funny, but it's definitely something that I like doing.” NeedsFeelsWritingOrderActorsTypePersonalityComfortableScriptsPersonality Types Author:Ray Liotta
“Picking projects, it's always director first and then script. Those two things are pretty much head-to-head.” FirstsTwoDirectorsProjectsScriptsTwo Things Author:Cameron Diaz
“Even if I loved the script, the director has to be right because it's all about the filmmaker. It's their vision. They're the ones that go back into the editing room and reassemble the film.” IfsFilmRoomsVisionDirectorsScriptsFilmmakerEditing Author:Cameron Diaz
“In retrospect, I think that I've been given quite a few scripts over the years that had dark elements to them but most of them took place in the countryside with a haunted house. I think I've probably had that script about six to 10 times over the past few years. Or it was something to do with the supernatural.” ThinkingYearsPastHouseGivenDarkElementsSixScriptsOver The PastCountrysideRetrospectHaunted Houses Author:Gillian Anderson
“I don't think about better. You just want it to work. You want it to work and you have your guide with the script. You want it to exist and complete.” ThinkingWantScriptsGuides Author:Famke Janssen
“It was a great circumstance when I received the script of [Chloe] and Atom [Egoyan] said he wanted me to do it. I was inclined to say 'yes' immediately.” SaidWantedCircumstancesScriptsAtomsChloe Author:Julianne Moore
“Particularly, the actors, to have analyzed the script in great detail from the point of view of their specific character. So that they have a handle on exactly where the character is in the chronology of things. In that sense the actors become your best check on the logic of the piece, and the way in which it all fits together. They become essential collaborators. The main thing is you have to work with very smart actors.” WayCharacterTogetherActorsViewsPiecesFitEssentialsSmartLogicScriptsDetailsPoint Of ViewHandleChecksVery SmartCollaboratorsChronology Author:Christopher Nolan
“The structural notions to me always have to be worked out very carefully in the script stage. Whatever a particular structure is. Whether it's chronological or non-chronological. To me that's always about what point of view are we trying to address in the film?” TryingFilmViewsStageParticularStructureNotionScriptsPoint Of ViewAddresses Author:Christopher Nolan
“It's not that I'm not a horror fan, it's just that the horror scripts I've been sent have been rubbish and obvious. Because they usually are in horror films - it's just about scare factor. You're always one step ahead, you know who's going to die first, you know who's going to survive, you're going to get a jump every twenty minutes.” KnowsFirstsHas BeensFilmDiesStepsFansMinutesHorrorTwentiesScriptsObviousFactorsScareRubbishHorror FilmHorror Fans Author:Danny Dyer
“I've never seen or heard of a mob sitting down to read a film script.” FilmHeardSittingScriptsSitting Down Author:Deepa Mehta
“I spend a lot of my time just developing material; or the company does. That material can come from a book, can come from a newspaper, can come from a discussion and sometimes it can come from a script that got passed over and is floating around.” DoeBookSometimesCompanyMaterialsScriptsNewspapersDevelopingDiscussionMy TimeFloating Author:Ridley Scott
“I start casting early in the writing process, so I can tailor the script to the gifts of the actors.” WritingI CanActorsProcessScriptsWriting ProcessCastingTailors Author:Judd Apatow
“What you believe one day isn't what you believe the next day and I think every writer secretly believes that they may never be able to do write good song or script again, but they can.” ThinkingWritingBelieveMayAbleSongNextOne DayScriptsNext Day Author:Cameron Crowe
“Most scripts are written to be green lit. They're not written to be acted. And a lot of writers with the greatest intention in the world don't write for actors. They don't understand the architecture of what an actor needs to get from point A to point B.” WorldNeedsWritingActorsWrittenGreenIntentionScriptsArchitectureLit Author:Laura Linney
“It's always the script first choosing roles. [Then] whoever else is attached. I never like to be the first person attached, because I don't really trust what's going on, unless there's a really good director.” FirstsPersonsRolesDirectorsScriptsFirst PersonGood Directors Author:Christopher Mintz-Plasse
“I'm wearing three hats; I'm acting, producing, and directing. I was very involved in developing the script, too. But to me, that is very liberating. To me, the lower the budget, the more I want to be involved. I want to be more in control of my own destiny when there isn't much money involved, because you don't have the experts who can control your destiny.” WantThreeMy OwnActingDestinyInvolvedScriptsDevelopingBudgetsExpertsHatsOur DestinyLiberatingYour DestinyControl Your Destiny Author:Bruce Campbell
“I use improvisation as a writing tool to help produce material that goes into a script, but a well-crafted script shouldn't sound scripted, and oftentimes people confuse something that looks like improvisation for what is actually a very well-written script that is well-acted.” PeopleWritingWellsLooksHelpingUseSoundWrittenProduceMaterialsToolsScriptsImprovisationWell Written Author:Steve Coogan
“It'll take me a lot longer to read a script if there's no director attached.” IfsDirectorsScriptsTake Me Author:Naomi Watts
“The script and the performances and the style all clicked.” StylePerformancesScripts Author:Edgar Wright
“I ain't the first on the list that people are sending scripts to. I'm very lucky. I've managed to put myself in the position with some directors, who will be calling me directly, and we're working on things and talking about things, but that's on a purely creative level.” PeopleFirstsLevelsTalkingCreativePositionCallingLuckyDirectorsScriptsLists Author:Christian Bale
“Sometimes I dream that I'm working; that's awful. When you awaken after a big, surprising dream, you feel it's very interesting. When you sit and write it down, you realize it's a very poor script. But I may find ideas while dozing.” FeelsWritingMayIdeasSometimesDreamBigsRealizingInterestingPoorScriptsAwfulSurprisingVery InterestingDozing Author:Michel Ocelot
“I don't spend a lot of time judging anyone I play. Even if their function in the script is to be the villain, I concentrate on what their perspective of the events is. Not even to justify them.” IfsPlayEventsJudgingPerspectiveFunctionScriptsJustifyVillain Author:Peter Sarsgaard
“I tend not to have any references to anything. I just jump into the script in front of me. If you reference too much, you have no idea if the performances are right.” IfsIdeasToo MuchFrontsPerformancesScriptsNo Idea Author:Mads Mikkelsen
“Sometimes I'll read things in the script and think, "That's not how humans behave," or "I don't understand how to do that role and make it seem like I'm not some kind of strange alien or on a sitcom." I don't get it, and when I feel that way, I have to listen to my instinct. My initial instinct does lead me in a direction that I can trust.” ThinkingWayFeelsHumansKindDoeI CanSometimesSeemsRolesStrangeInstinctScriptsAliensBehaveInitialsSitcomLeading Me Author:Maggie Gyllenhaal
“There has to be this balance of reality for a woman. I don't want to play women who just serve a purpose for the script.” WantPlayRealityPurposeBalanceScripts Author:Kristen Bell
“With my first book, I was hired to write a draft of the script. I was so young and less confident. They put me through seven or eight drafts and it was just getting worse and worse, and then the film was never made.” WritingFirstsMadeBookFilmYoungSevenScriptsEight Author:Emma Donoghue
“When you get to really involve yourself with a piece [script] and the other people and you get to feel like it's a community and you're all building something together, it helps me to produce better work, I think. And there's an exhaustion that happens on a film set - an exhaustion that translates into a relaxation and helps me to live in the moment, in the performance I'm giving and what's happening around me.” PeopleThinkingGivingFeelsMomentsHelpingHappensTogetherFilmCommunityPiecesProduceBuildingHappeningsPerformancesScriptsHelp MeTranslateLive In The MomentRelaxationExhaustionFilm SetBuilding Something Author:Jonathan Groff
“I barely read. I'm not a good reader at all. Rather than reading, I used to sit in front of the TV and watch black-and-white cowboy movies. I'm a painfully slow reader. It's really bad as an actor, because you have to read a lot of scripts. It takes me like an average of three hours to read a script, which is pretty poor.” UsedThreeReadingActorsBlackHoursWhitePoorWatchesFrontsTvsReaderAverageScriptsTake MeBlack And WhiteCowboyCowboy Movie Author:Will Poulter
“My scripts are always heavily noted. If I can take a director to one side and say, "Do you mind if we try this?," a few days before, that's usually a better way of doing it then on the day.” IfsWayTryingMindI CanSidesDirectorsScriptsBetter Ways Author:Nick Frost
“It's rare that a good writer will sit down and write a good script. Writers are greedy too, and they don't want to work without getting paid. But quality will find its way out.” WayWantWritingQualityPaidDown AndScriptsGreedyGood Writers Author:Richard Gere
“The best scripts I read are usually pretty - they move really quickly, there's not a lot of exposition in between all of what's happening, so you can really just flow with the lines, and you're reading and it has a momentum and you understand it emotionally.” MovingReadingLinesHappeningsFlowScriptsMomentum Author:Kirsten Dunst
“I thought one way to try to hold on to the power was to write the script myself. That way, I could say to filmmakers, "I'm not asking you to hire me unseen. I'm just saying, 'Here's my script. Can we work together?'" So that worked out well.” WayWritingTryingWellsTogetherAskingScriptsOne WayFilmmakerWorking TogetherUnseenJust Saying Author:Emma Donoghue
“Lots of scripts are written and not made, even scripts that people want to make.” PeopleWantMadeWrittenScripts Author:James Salter