John Benjamin Hickey Quotes

The artists who stand out to me have a passion for what they do. There are a lot of people who can sing. It's just like when you go to church and people are singing because it sounds good, not because it feels good. There's a difference.

Once I came to acting, it was almost a thing where there weren't enough hours in the day to work on stuff because I was so passionate about it.

I'm really hoping to find something that I feel as connected with as I did with 'The Florida Project.' I want to feel that passionate about things that I work on. I don't want to just act to act.

I find theater emotionally expensive and all-involving. You have to pour so much blood and passion and heart into it. And so much time. Why do that for something that's only vaguely interesting and anyone can do it?

To me, the producing falls into the same as acting. It requires so much time out of your life, and I take it very personally, I realize. So if I do something, it just has to be something I love and I don't want anyone else to do. When I open projects, maybe something will appeal to me. I think I'm not opening them because I don't want anything to appeal to me right now.

At this point, I'm happy to be part of something special. As an actor I liked to choose scripts that I'm passionate about.

All I can say is if the part doesn't delight me in some way, or I can't feel any compassion for it, I just can't do it.

For me, one of my favorites, director-wise, is Tim Burton. I also really admire the work of actors like Sean Penn. He is probably my favorite actor because of his dedication and commitment to roles, and the ability to morph and change himself when he needs to. It's about dedication and commitment and a passion.

Passion is the thing that sustains you in acting. If you're doing it for fame and money, don't even bother because it will never happen. The last thing I ever expected was to be paid for this.

I would love to do more movies. I'd like to get into some theater, too, if I could, just to learn more. I want to do gritty performances that I'm proud of. It doesn't matter to me if four people see it or millions of people see it, as long as I perform in such a way that people go, 'Wow!'

Acting is an imaginative leap, really, isn't it? And imaginations prosper in different circumstances.

Whether it be in acting, music, or even in dancing, I only want to do things that I truly connect to, and with my music, it's everything that I am.

If you took acting away from me, I'd stop breathing.

I have to be invested spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically to do theater. I can't do it to make a living. I have four kids, a couple of grandkids, and two mortgages.

Theater feeds my heart and soul.

If you give it good concentration, good energy, good heart and good performance, the song will play you.

I didn't get into acting to have a moment, I got into it because of people who've inspired me, like Judi Dench, Holly Hunter, and Jodie Foster.

One's art goes as far and as deep as one's love goes.

I just want to keep being creative, and I want to feel inspired by a role, and I want to keep acting.

I always try to make sure that I stay connected to theater so I continue to be inspired. Not that I'm not inspired by television.

If I wanted to do something on stage, I wanted it to be something I could really get into and feel.

The advice that I was always given when asking for advice about acting was that if I could imagine myself doing anything else, anything else at all, then go do that.

There's nothing more thrilling than watching great actors say things that you wrote and bring them to life.

I am always physically and emotionally invested in the characters I play.

Personally, I love music, as it's my first love, and if I ever act, it has to be something close to music. That's when I will feel great about doing it.