Jane Levy Quotes

Garry Marshall is a joy. I feel so utterly safe in his hands.

I like it when an actor is secure enough to ask questions, and the director is secure enough not to be threatened by that.

You want to work with good people. When you're working with good people, it frees you up. There's nothing worse, as an actor, to show up and then feel like you have to protect yourself somehow because you don't feel like you're in good hands.

Nothing makes an actor feel freer and more inventive and more creative than being trusted.

I'm always more comfortable and in a good place when I'm with friends because I know they trust me. I'm able to get great performances from people who trust me.

It varies, but in my experience, directors who are the most comfortable with themselves and confident in their work give you and everybody on the crew the freedom and the space to create.

I want a director who can let me feel that he's listening and watching and that he's got me covered. That security is really important for me because sometimes you go into a vulnerable space, and you want to be able to look to somebody because you get insecure: 'Did I do that right?'

I think it seems to be when I'm trusted, and someone just lets me have free rein - 'Do what you want, man' - that kind of confidence that directors instil in me always gets my best stuff out.

Having full faith that you can write something completely insane, and your actress will ground it and make it feel real, is a very liberating feeling.

Most people are afraid to trust their imaginations and the artist is not.

I want to just be lazy and I want some of the people around me to be doing things, because that makes me feel comfortable and safe - and I want some of them to be doing nothing at all, because they can be graceful and companionable for me.

I felt like people really do their best work when they're having a really good time and feel safe to push the envelope and make a jackass out of themselves.

Bringing humility to the material and to the world and to the talent that was present, that's the true formula for success. When people are allowed to bring their best and you have a director who's not afraid to go in a certain way because he doesn't have an answer all the time... It is such a beautiful lesson and a beautiful experience.

Of course there were areas of safety; nothing could get at me if I curled up on my father's lap, holding his ear with one thumb tucked into it... All about him was safe.

Monogamy is monotonous, but it's safe you know. And that's my philosophy. And I like to convey that to people.

I think what's great about that relationship between an actor and a Director is you have to really blow away all your thing, the safety things that you put up.

Nothing can be left until the last minute, so that everyone knows exactly where they are. Everyone is comfortable and everyone feels safe because we want people to be able to keep coming into this show and taking those risks. There are a lot of risks in this show, not just nudity, but emotional risks. We want the best actors to feel comfortable about coming in and exploring this subject matter with us.

Leadership is about making people feel safe. When someone feels heard, they feel safe.

In my experience, the best directors I've worked with hired people for a purpose. They hire them with trust. There's not many notes. There's confidence and support.

I think Robert Altman could see things in me that I didn't know I possessed, which is really exciting. He also instilled a tremendous amount of confidence, because he would say things like, "These are the bare bones, but I want you to go fill it out. You find the character. You bring it to me. You write whatever you want." And if you had an idea, he wouldn't want to hear about it. He's want you to show it to him.

In creating music you are the writer, the director, the producer, you create it from scratch. Obviously in playing a role in a film, you take guidance and put your trust into the director. You come into it and you really trust people.

I feel more confident in being able to be funny if I'm comfortable with the people I'm around. When you're friends with them, it just makes it all the better. Plus, shooting a movie, you're sitting on your ass for hours at a time, so if you have somebody there to mess around with and have fun, then it's great.

A strange, warm feeling swirled in my chest, and for a brief moment, when I looked at him, I saw...safety

I just want to work with talented people who are enjoyable to be with, and take big huge risks from high comedy to deep, dark, brooding drama, to thriller. I just want to go back and forth.

I'm much more collaborative than I probably was when I was first starting, much more willing to say, "I don't know the answer to that." I have really talented people and let them do their jobs and not try to control everything as much as I did when I was starting. I was a bit more insecure.