Michael Jai White Quotes

It is my passion to direct movies.

I think I was never home when I was directing, because you're either prepping, shooting, or editing, and then acting at the same time. It's really time-consuming, but it was great fun.

It was really fun to work on 'The Predator.'

Usually I don't like to act in movies that I direct because it's kind of confusing.

If you choose to do both [acting and directing] on a set, than you're admitting that you understand that everyone is in it for the same goal and it's a collaborative experience. You can't really jump into being an actor, and than direct yourself. At some point, you have to be willing to accept other people's opinions. I think that's helpful. If you try to micro-manage and control all of it, than you're probably heading for disaster.

It's a juggernaut, yeah... but I'm not phased by making movies.

I was a big fan of Super Troopers, so working with the Broken Lizard guys was so much fun.

I am not at all interested in theories about cinema. I am only interested in images and people and sound. I am really a very simple person.

I wasn't a kid who moved out from Iowa with aspirations of becoming a famous star - I was intrigued by the idea of filmmaking and by the idea of what it would be like to play a character in a movie.

I love being on set, because I've basically grown up on a set. And now I love to contribute as a director and help steer the ship, if you will.

I like to direct for the big screen.

I realized the exciting place was behind the camera with the producer, director and so on.

To me I don't deal with stress well at all, and it is stressful enough for me to deal with my own one character. So if I had to deal with all the characters and the special effects, and the editing and make the writing tweaks and do everything the director does, that would drive me to an early grave, and I just can't do it.

I want to direct, write, produce... y'know, I love the entertainment industry.

I try to do as much as I can, every facet of filmmaking.

Yeah, the whole 'One Tree Hill' experience made me realize I wanna write, and produce, and direct as well as act. I'm interested in all facets of the industry.

I'm going to make a movie about 'Hey Girl.'

I love the process of making a movie so much as an actor that I can only imagine I would love the process of being the director.

I would like to write a movie and, if it wasn't too crazy, also direct.

It would be a great vacation to act in a movie if I weren't directing it. But to do it while you're directing interferes with your concentration, and I wouldn't do that again.

I think my passion for cinema really started when I was on the set of 'Mud' and my third film 'Joe.' That's when I really started to fall in love with the art of filmmaking.

I'm very happy to co-produce a film like 'Srimanthudu.'

I am interested in people. I'm interested in telling stories, whether that is behind the camera or in front of the camera.

Writing and directing, to me, was the logical evolution from my life as an actor: going from telling someone else's story to actually creating my own. Perhaps one day I will do all three: write, direct, and act in the same production. That might get a little hectic, though.

I'm really into both sides of the industry - in front of the camera and behind the camera. I love the business side of it; I love all of the contracts and negotiating and the different connections that you can make.