Josh Trank Quotes

The instant that movies became described as character driven was the instant when characters stopped mattering in movies. In other words, the birth of the notion of the character-driven movie coincided with the birth of movies in which characters were incidental to the very activities in which they engaged.

There's no rule that we have to like the characters movies are about.

As an actress, I realize that viewers are entitled to have whatever feelings they want about the characters they watch.

One of the things that separates a good genre movie from a bad genre movie, I always think, ironically, is when you care about the people. The dime a dozen ones are where you don't have any awareness of the character.

I need to react to a script, to feel strongly about it in some way. And I need it to be a complex character for sure. And also, I think a lot about what kind of audience there is for the film, what they're looking for and ways to connect with them in the playing of a character.

In most films - especially in regards to the protagonist - really from the get-go they set up some scenario that endears that character to the audience. Or imbues him with some nobility or heroism or something.

You experience the films through the actors, so they're all locked into your imagination in some kind of layer of fantasy or hatred or wherever they settle into your imagination.

One must never assume that a character is sympathetic because of either the actor playing them or the fact that they're a lead. I think that's a recipe for failure, actually, because if they become unsympathetic, you lose your audience.

I usually don't find myself reacting to my characters. I just create them ... And let the audience decide whether they're empathetic or scared or compelled to cheer me on.

Sympathetic characters usually have a voice. They usually don't have any trouble being heard.

I don't know for a fact, but I feel fairly certain that the first person who described a movie as 'character driven' had to have been a producer or studio executive.

I was a big 'Blue Valentine' fan. I really loved that movie. And I thought the performances were just unbelievably real, which is certainly what I always strive for in my work.

You need the audience to become invested in the characters and in order to become invested, they need to identify with the characters... and that's why the characters need to be real.

You tell me that 'Date Night' was good? I'm not going to see it. I will debate you on it, having no knowledge of the footage in the film. I was next to someone on the plane watching it, and they were dozing off.

What I find frustrating about scripted television is that it's rare that you are surprised by how you feel about the character, or how you feel about the show.

You can't make the audience fall in love with a character you don't like.

I love characters who can rile an audience so much - it means you've done your job well.

In genre movies, you usually not only hate the characters, you sometimes hate them so much that you hate the actors playing them.

Audiences need to engage with characters.

You have to present characters an audience can relate to.

In film, there's always this looking for the 'If you lay down and burst into tears, you did a good job.'

Wrestling and sports entertainment is not about the moves, it really isn't. It's about being able to evoke emotion in one facet or another.

In 'Poster Boys,' every character is well defined.

All my characters have been relatable.

Television is about identifying with the characters.