John Malkovich Quotes

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.

A lot of film directors are quite scared of actors. They are a bit of a nightmare sometimes, but I like them. It looks like cunning, but you try to get extra things from them all the time, by stealth, by making them feel confident, so they trust you and you can push a bit.

Working with actors really depends on the actor. Most of the directors I've worked with don't really know how to speak to actors, actually; some of the best directors don't.

I've spent most of my life trying to make actors comfortable, which I think is 90 percent of getting a good performance.

I always try to keep the confidence of the actors, and try my best to make them feel comfortable or confident.

I don't think it's necessary to be an actor to get great performances out of an actor. But I do think it helps me as a director because I know what I like as an actor, and I try to get that to the actors who I'm working with.

Our feeling is that the most important thing on a set is that actors have enough confidence to try different things. If there's stress or tension, they won't go out on a limb because they won't want to embarrass themselves if they don't feel completely comfortable.

Some actors need to be rattled and some need to be focused.

You need to see what the actor needs. This one wants to be talked to privately. That one doesn't mind if you block it for them. Just tell me the truth and I'll adapt to it.

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.

A lot of directors straight out of film school are very technically minded, but they don't have an understanding of actors or how to talk to them.

Any director who's also acted understands the fact that every person has a different process and has to be approached differently.

You must keep people happy backstage because that affects what's onstage. During a run, the playwright feels like the mayor of a small town filled with noble creatures who have to get out there and make it brand new every night. When a production works, it's unlike any other joy in the world.

When you are working with actors who are secure, who have nothing really to prove, it gets a lot easier working with them.

The way that I deal with actors as a director is I just talk to them forever before we even arrive on set.

I don't know what directing actors is all about apart from just casting well and then shaping their performances a bit, you know.

Actors are almost conditioned to get their director's approval. 'I just did my song and dance, boss. What did you think?' Actors are infantilized so much.

I wasn't as critical during games as I was at practice. Players needed confidence during games more than criticism.

If you wish others to believe in you, you must first convince them that you believe in them.

Who really benefits from discouragement? More often than not, encouragement is exactly what is needed.

Praise must be learned in private before it is exhibited in public.

Do what you want I don't care. That's the thing to say to an actor. Most people don't understand that. Not to manipulate them. That's what you say to an actor. You got a problem with the whole environment in doing that? Fine, what are we going to do to make the scene work? Now you have someone on your side. Now you have someone working with you.

To be an actor, a lot of times it's a strange combination of high confidence and low self-esteem. Which is a weird combination to have, but I think it's sort of very common among actors.

I didn't want to change my personality onstage, but I still had to build some kind of ego to be able to go up there. If not, there's no point.