Steven Spielberg Quotes

I never think about the next movie. I always think about the situation I'm in now, but you do think about an arc someone can go. I love Johnny Depp, I love 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' but I never wanted to play the same character over and over again.

Everyone has different goals. For myself, I would rather take less roles and be working on films that I'm passionate about, that are going to challenge me, and that I'm going to be growing from. I don't ever want to take a movie just for the sake of working.

I don't pick roles based on how famous they are going to make me; I pick roles based on how they're going to inspire me intellectually.

I've been fortunate, I guess: I've gotten to play a lot of very diverse roles for quite a long time. But in the beginning, I was thinking, 'I'm not gonna do certain characters. I will be willing to say no and live on a couch.' And I was really happy.

I choose my work based on what is offered to me. If I see if my role can change the way the show will shape up, I come on board. If me being there in a show will make no difference, then I won't bother being part of it. I am inclined to do things that I haven't done before.

It's really fun to go back and forth from acting projects to directing projects. You don't have as much responsibility when you're acting, but you have more fun. But then you miss having that responsibility, and so you go back and torture yourself and make a movie.

I've gotten to a place where I still love to play and sing, but I don't have any ego agenda left, outside of just wanting to stay in a creative place and play music. I much prefer to sing for somebody else, and to somebody else.

The trick is to learn to contain one's ego, not conceal it.

The ego is kind of a big, unwieldy thing. It's not so easily tamed or subdued.

Films are not the sole area in my life. Films are a passion. But it's not like I'll die if I don't get another movie. I'll grow, I'll flourish, I'll learn something new, but I'll always do something that I like. If I get the right film, I'll do it. I will not compromise for anything else.

My real passion is to make movies, to direct. It's good for my ego to be an actress. It's like someone is saying, 'Yes, you're beautiful! Yes, you're doing fine!' But I feel like a child when I'm an actress.

I acted professionally for about eight years, and I was writing all that time but never showed anybody any of it. There just came a point after those eight years when I thought, 'There's a lot I can do with acting - there are a lot of things I can express and do creatively, but there are also limitations.'

I've done so many interviews that I've gotten past the ego and the personality.

And, we put a lot more value, or at least I personally put a lot more value, on the creative values and creative challenges of something than the commercial necessities.

I only get involved with roles that I find intriguing, in top quality productions regardless of the medium. I try not to focus on the format itself and concentrate instead, on finding roles that challenge and entertain me as an artist.

I'm not looking to be the King of Comedy, or the King of Hollywood. I just want to be able to keep making stuff that I'm into and have the opportunity to challenge myself with, wearing different hats.

I tell all the young guys, don't make choices because somebody else is telling you it's good from a career-maintenance perspective.

After 'Superstar,' I was encouraged. I felt audiences wanted to be challenged.

I always have looked for the best challenge, I guess, that I could take on. I haven't been producing my own work or anything like that, so I've taken the jobs that look most interesting that come my way.

I've gotten to a place where I'm better at curbing your ego, which usually happens when you're feeling super small and scared about whatever you're seeing, and you want to go read, 'Oh, I hear there's a really good article about me.' I've gotten better about knowing that's not going to end well, usually.

Even if the film doesn't come out quite as you'd hoped, the process can also be very rewarding. I feel that way about a film called 'Lay the Favorite' that I made with Stephen Frears. I did that because the character was a real leap for me. The film doesn't quite all add up internally, but I feel very proud of what I did on it.

Obviously, after 'The Matrix,' it was a case of, 'OK, I did that. What's next?' I mean, it's always like that, but more so this time. How do I change it up? How do I keep it interesting for myself?

Acting's such a good job in that you're stimulating and pushing yourself constantly. I'd never want to do anything comfortable.

Being on a low-budget film is difficult enough, and you may as well be working on something that you really believe in and you really love, and for me, that's to play different characters, to play different roles, and challenge myself.

It's a constant quest to push the bar and work in films that allow me to prove what I can do as an artist.