Eric Johnson Quotes

Oliver Stone's strategy is to unnerve the actors so as to make them alert and alive.

One of the things I love about directing is I love actors, because no matter how complex they are, once you get down to working and talking to them and the toughest guy will want you to open them up and he wants to show you stuff he was afraid to show anybody before.

When actors give their input, it can be very ego-driven, and directors are scared of that.

Film is a collaborative process, absolutely, but I am a control freak.

I would say that maybe directors who act as well are easier with actors. I'm not saying that all directors have this, but sometimes you'll come across a director who sort of looks at an actor a bit like a kind of untrained horse that's been let out of the stable, like they might buck him.

You've got to understand that in Bollywood, every actor is an instrument, and yet a human being. They come to the set with a set agenda, believing, 'This is who I am, this is what I want, and no, I am not going to become that character you want me to.'

Actors want to impress at the beginning, so you take advantage of that by suddenly saying, 'Right, you're here for two weeks.' What you're doing is creating a siege mentality.

The first thing I ask when I'm offered a part is, Who's the director? which is something they never understand in Los Angeles.

I know what actors fear, what they like; I know how to get things out of them and I listen to them better, since I've been there.

Actors, I think, are all the same. Both Korean actors and American actors are all very sensitive people, and they are all curious to know what the director thinks of them and how they are evaluated, and they try to satisfy the director. And they like it if you listen carefully to their opinions and accept them.

I couldn't be a director because I couldn't put up with the actors. I don't have the patience. Why, I'd probably kill the actors. Not to mention some of the beautiful actresses.

I've been shocked by film actors - 25 and under - having such confidence and cockiness to rewrite a scene. My background is more about the director being in control. It's all about yielding. It's an oddly submissive relationship in which you're moulded, Pygmalion-style.

As an actor, you're always nervous as to what a director will do with something.

I think with actors, if you just don't set about trying to crush their confidence immediately, you're usually OK.

Once you've agreed the script, you must be willing to go as far as it needs to go on set.

I think that the actors that I work with feel safer with me. Because they know I understand what they go through and I don't see them as chess pieces.

With Kubrick and most film directors, they are in complete control, but one can influence them.

As an actor, you're always at the service of somebody else's vision. In a play, it's more of the director's vision, and he or she's got their hands on you all the way up to opening night, and if it's a film, there are even more people.

With independent film, as an actor, you have more involvement - it's very much more connected. It's not just like I'm showing up and there's another actor on the call sheet; you're very attached to it.

All these directors, and I would include the Coen brothers and Quentin, have a very unique vision of what they want. They listen to ideas and make people feel like everyone is making the film.

Movies are a team sport now, and I want to play singles.

As an actor, you have to give up all control to the director. He's the boss, and has all the power. I'm a control freak, so that's really hard for me.

When you're an actor, you're a slave to other people's visions.

I think the toughest thing about being an actor in a film is to be with a director who doesn't know what they want. And that can be really, really frustrating.

My acting experience has been a benefit. What I learned from directors is how to listen to and talk with actors. I know how they think and what they need.