Matthew Ashford Quotes

I want to be associated with content and characters that will be embedded in the hearts and minds of people for a long time.

I keep reminding myself, through all the ups and downs of 'Community,' that I might never have another job that really means something to people the way 'Community' means something to people. That's more powerful than ratings.

When you have a chance to play a character people can relate to, it's rewarding.

The only song I can sing is 'Lady in Red' so that must tell you how great it must have been.

My job as a performer is to make sure that whatever happens in a performance lives in somebody else, that it's memorable... If you forget tomorrow what you heard yesterday, there's really not much point in you having been there - or me, for that matter.

The phenomenal thing that happened to me is that I was able to create two memorable men: one is the ultimate optimist, Rocky, and then you have Rambo, the ultimate pessimist. You're going to always be remembered for them, no matter what you do.

I like making movies that people feel inspired by, a film that they will think about a few days after seeing it, and not entertainment that is completely forgettable the moment you walk out of the theater.

I don't just want to create products. I want to reach into people's hearts and minds. I want to create memories.

A lot of bands just entertain you. I'm all about entertainment - I do it every day - but there's only certain things in your life that stick around. I think P.O.D. has done that for a lot of people, and I'm happy for that.

It's incredibly important to me that you remember a song right after the first or second time you hear it. That something sticks to you, something that makes you feel, 'I need to hear that song again.' That's fundamental. Something you want again. And again.

'The Muppet Show' spoke to me at 5, and it speaks to me in my late 30s in the same way.

Every day somebody comes up to me and says, 'That song really helped me through a difficult time,' or 'That's me and my wife's song' or 'This song means something to me because of... ' It's humbling to hear that. You're something special in someone's life, even if it is for three minutes.

Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.

The changes that happened in my life from doing these movies are so permanent that I don't think I'll ever really say goodbye, it'll always be a part of me, the Hunger Games.

But I saw this video, not even the whole thing, and I just knew that it was going to be my favorite song for...for the rest of my life. And it still is. It's still my favorite song... Lincoln, I said you were cute because I didn't know how to say--because I didn't think I was allowed to say--anything else. But every time I saw you, I felt like I did the first time I heard that song.

I love Jon Hamm. I'm so lucky to get to work with him and work so closely with him. We have a lot of these scenes that are very intimate, and very tender. Those are the kind of things that an actor lives for. Real moments of connection with other actors.

A dominant impulse on encountering beauty is to wish to hold on to it, to possess it and give it weight in one’s life. There is an urge to say, ‘I was here, I saw this and it mattered to me.

I live in New York, and Clara lives in Recife. The character is Brazilian, and as I read the script, I felt like Kleber [Mendonca] had been spying on me in order to create this role [in Aquarius]. Clara and I have different backgrounds. I come from an intuitive world, and she's an academic, but when we got together, we really became one. There are many times when I'm watching the film where Clara will say something, and I will find myself agreeing with her. It was the first time that I had this weird sensation that the character I played is so me, but yet it's so her.

Emotion brings in the dimension of bonding or tuning in: An experience that touches your heart makes the meaning that much more personal.

Jon Krakauer had documented it very accurately and very well but this kid made a real impression on people, and likewise they on him. To talk to them was very moving in many cases because they talk about him like they saw him yesterday. In most cases they knew this kid for a couple of weeks in their whole life and he just lasted with them.

The point is to let the music be itself. If it doesn't mean anything to you, then it's bullsh*t.

But the original was there as well—more jaded and rudimentary, functional rather than romantic. It fit not just the yellow house but another door, deep within my own heart. One that had been locked so tight for so long that I was afraid to even try it for fear of what might be on the other side

I think that the film ["Jim Younger"] still resonates, because there's just something that you can't fake about those kinds of relationships. When you see James and Stacy Keach on the screen together, they're brothers!

Our subconscious works in metaphors, stories, and word play. That's why a particular story or movie may mean more to some people than to others. Have you considered why you quest for this tale now?

My favorite songs are my favorite songs because they just feel like a certain moment, or a certain photo, just a snapshot for whatever three or four minutes the song is.