Timur Bekmambetov Quotes

So I work hard to present the human side of my characters while not neglecting the plot.

In 'There Will Be Blood,' my character was someone who was an actor himself almost. He had a rehearsed quality about him. He was a performance artist in a way.

You decide which characters you want and then do the best you can to bring their humanity to the forefront in the context that you place them in - the crises in which you've placed them.

Whether you're writing a horror show or a James Bond film, I think what bubbles beneath is interesting characterization. The colors that emerge through storytelling is what a dramatist does. There's always got to be something bubbling underneath that will erupt at some point.

As a novelist, I'm endlessly fascinated by human behavior and interactions.

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.

I don't think people are ever going to a place where they're like, 'I'm over stories about character and love.'

You try, as an actor, to wear a mask; you're serving a story.

Every time when I start preparing my character for a movie, I always try to make up and create my own background story for the role in order to fill it with life.

It's much easier for me to think in terms of character movement and emotion and story rather than, 'What are some wacky hijinks we can throw together?'

If I wasn't an actor, I never would have known who Debbie Gallagher was. I never would know how her feelings are or how her emotions are, or her family.

As an actor, I'm always interested in my characters getting into trouble, because conflict is, you know, the great determiner of someone's mettle.

When you play guest parts, you play your story in a very urgent kind of way.

Stories matter to me. I look for a good script, story, and a strong part.

I have always argued, in a good novel, interesting things happen to interesting people.

My books are character-driven. They're not driven by the story.

I am attracted to the complexities and deeper truths of characters, and I can't name a favourite role any more than I can name a favourite food!

When you see something that is well-written, the actors can get behind it.

I think I would struggle with any job if it was purely about effects. Even as a viewer, those aren't the kind of things that interest me. I think ultimately you have to be connected to characters and their relationships. Otherwise, it's not drama to me.

Any actor who judges his character is a fool - for every role you play you've got to absorb that character's motives and justifications.

When you are developing a character you have to bring so much of yourself to the role.

When I get a role, I try to delve as deeply as possible into the character.

But for me, the challenge is how you turn a character into behavior. Once the director says 'action', you just try to live between those two worlds.

I like doing character movies. I like doing movies about personal situations; that's what I love about dealing with things.

In acting, you have to pull from real-life situations, from people, to help develop a character.