James Watkins Quotes

Directing is much more satisfying to me than acting.

I guess I have a fascination with the idea of puppeteering. I think, in a lot of ways, directing is puppeteering. I guess I see a lot of analogies between what puppeteers and filmmakers do.

When I'm acting, I'm just worried about that piece of the pie, contributing to the whole. But when you're directing, you... get the vision out of your head and on the stage.

I am always more interested in performance and character depiction, and my direction says as much.

Everything starts with writing. And then to support your vision, your ideas, your philosophy, your jokes, whatever, you've gotta perform them and/or direct them, or sometimes just produce them.

I truly enjoy directing. I enjoy looking at the words on the paper and visualizing how to make them come to life.

Acting requires emotional flexibility and demands, and directing is more cerebral and managerial and a tactical kind of thing.

Directing is such a high. It's the hardest job ever, but I really love doing it.

There's no way I see myself as a director. Direction is far too creative.

Acting doesn't exist in a vacuum. You need the director to have a set of eyes.

I go out and look for a good story to tell and if I like it enough and I decide to direct it, I become dangerously involved in becoming a part of that story.

Producing is hell, writing is frustrating, acting is really satisfying, directing is heaven.

I like directing. It takes a lot out of you, but I'd like to do it again - I just have to find a story I want to tell.

A lot of performing instincts are involved in the business of direction, but so is analysis and having a sense of literature.

Music runs through everything I do - I even think musically; even when I was acting, but, especially, when I am directing. Directing is very musical.

I love being creative. I love acting, but I also love directing because you get to have a vision for the whole and bring that vision to fruition.

I find directing more satisfying.

With directing, you've got to find something and drag it up from its inception, and I'm at the early stages of doing that again. There's something all-consuming and addictive about that.

I've always been interested in character-driven pieces, and my approach to directing is through acting.

It's totally thrilling to direct.

I think I'm drawn to films more as a director with a directorial mind even as an actor. I make movies to make the films, not to act.

Being a director is almost like being another sort of character, but you're out of view.

I think journalists and filmmakers are keen observers. And actors must also be sharp observers as they draw their characters and their stories from what they experience around them. After all, that is what actors, filmmakers, journalists are trained to be: observers. And then they do something with their observations.

I love directing. It's where my heart is, and it's the way my mind works.

I love writing. I think writing and directing go hand in hand.