Lee Grant Quotes

I'm 64 years old, and I've been acting now for 42 years. Only recently have I thought to myself, 'Hmmm, it may be interesting to start directing.'

Today what is more important for me is performance. At the risk of sounding immodest, I have done it all - 61 movies over 12 years. But now I am looking for quality. It's easy to be a star. Now I want to be an actress.

I love acting and will take all the time to continue to act. But sometimes I'd like to try my hand at directing.

For some reason, it popped into my head the notion that a lot of the Next Generation cast in the long run of that show managed to step behind the camera.

I moved to L.A. to write and direct. I had no intentions of being in front of the camera.

It was always my dream to be a director. A lot of it had to do with controlling my own destiny, because as a young actor you feel at everyone's disposal. But I wanted to become a leader in the business.

After an 18-year career, I left the film industry, not wanting to become one of those child-actor cautionary tales.

I want to write, act, and direct!

Honestly, I want to do films. I want to make that move from actor to producer, like Will Smith.

Acting I'll do forever, but I want to produce and stuff as well.

I would like to remain an actress, but am very anxious to direct and produce.

In 2000, I realized I had reached that certain age when the parts get scarcer. So I decided to try my hand at directing.

I think my guideline has been to find things that inspire me. And as long as I stick to that, I don't think I'll have any problems crossing over to becoming an adult actress.

Every actor I ever meet goes, 'Ultimately I plan on having my own company and write and direct,' but yes, I too would love to write and direct a movie. I want to do a play, too. I want to do it all.

I spent six years touring the world playing Shakespeare, Molire, Shaw, Goldsmith... But I slowly came to realise that the people you are working with are as important as the parts you play, and that there were lots of interesting people working in film and T.V.

I had to work out where I was going, what type of films I wanted to make. For that reason, I decided to choose independent productions, less important roles, and I tried theater, too.

Suddenly I was writing a lot of screenplays, and I was no long in New York, so I stopped acting in plays, and it just became too tricky to find a part to play, either in a play or a film that coincided with my schedule writing and or directing.

I love Michelle Williams and Natalie Portman - those are the careers I want. My goal is to win an Oscar, and I'm going to take the steps to get there.

I didn't go into the theater to be a producer, I went into the theater to be a director.

I've never felt a strong urge to rush into Hollywood, so I bided my time and waited till I had a decent body of work to show people, the icing on the cake being 'Salmon Fishing' and 'Parade's End.'

I'd been an actor in high school, and when I got to college, it was all about film.

I certainly was an actor and then I drifted more towards writing and directing.

I want to be remembered as an actor who put in some good work in the beginning of his career, even better work at the end of his career and slowly, successfully made the transition into writing and directing.

I know doing movies is where I need to be. That's where my audience wants to see me.

You get money out of acting. You get gray hair out of directing. Actually, I get more of a rush from directing.