Debra Granik Quotes

I'm never going to be in something as commercially successful as 'Harry Potter' ever again. It's impossible. So that gives me incredible freedom to go off and make the slightly off-the-wall films that I want to make.

With 'Acoustic Soul,' I saw my music as sparse. But I didn't do that because I was making a commitment to be commercial. That's what made 'Acoustic Soul' so difficult to produce. It took 2 1/2 years because I couldn't figure out what I wanted and still be commercial.

Then little writings and recordings that thankfully continue to come up. I'm in this kind of wonderful, kind of awkward, off-putting, and strange position where there's nothing I want to do more than continue to make music, but the ways that I do things are not in tune with how I can do them commercially.

When I did small films like Lily and Buenos Vista, everyone thought my career would be ruined.

All the time, I've felt that life is a wager and that I probably was getting more out of leading a bohemian existence as a writer than I would have if I didn't.

I know a lot of people who have tremendous commercial success and they go directly for it. There's something that has always been difficult about that for me.

I am very aware now that music is a business, but there is also a way to go about making music that is true to yourself as opposed to doing, you know, just going through the motions and making things that would just be commercially successful.

Maybe if I'd studied writing instead of anthropology, I'd be more sensible. You know - pick a genre, follow the rules, stay in the box - but let's face it. Sensible people don't major in anthropology.

I respect the system out there in Hollywood, I really do, but I'm very intent on art versus commerce. I want to do it all - film, TV and theatre - if it's the right job.

So it's hard to be an artist and be true to the reality of the world you want to create and also make it entertaining and successful financially.

I'm American. I'm eclectic. I'm going to follow my musical passions. And if people don't like it, and it hurts my legacy, I'm not going to worry about that.

What can I tell you? I continue to be creative, but have only been commercially successful outside of the U.S.

I am proud being an artist who takes risks, who would walk off a cliff artistically. I won't settle for commercial reasons.

If my films don't show a profit, I know I'm doing something right.

People think it's suspect and self-indulgent to make art, and I don't think that's true. Some people think you should be busy making something that you can sell in the marketplace, and if nobody wants to buy it, it must be crap. And that's not true.

People talk about making art films - experimental films. I can make an art film every day of the week. Nothing to it. What's difficult is to combine a commercial film with art.

All the music that I've made in the past I've believed in. I think some of it has been more commercially successful than others, but it wasn't premeditated.

I don't want to be known as someone who is deliberately trying to do things that are not commercial! That is not a good reputation to have when you're trying to be a working actor.

What is good for you creatively is usually bad commercially. You thrive financially by sticking to a series and not fiddling about too much. You do yourself harm by moving away from the series and the genre. By trying things not based in that particular mode of writing, you will just lose readers.

If writers were good businessmen, they'd have too much sense to be writers.

There's an eternal war between a creative person and the business person.

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

I was termed 'choosy' because when an actor decides to go against the wind and takes on only non-formula films, he is not left with much choice.

I've never consciously done 'safe' commercial projects; luckily, they have done well.

Ahana does lots of things; that's the problem with her. She is a fashion designer and is also writing some scripts. She doesn't want to do the regular commercial films. So she has decided that only if she really likes something, then she will take it up.