Yorgos Lanthimos Quotes

I think it's a bad habit for an actor to change scripts because that's not your job. You're not a writer, necessarily - although there are some actors that are good at it.

Film is a collaborative process, absolutely, but I am a control freak.

I'm used to changing a lot of the dialogue. But if I feel like the script is working, I don't want to mess with it.

In my first film, we always tried to have a script and work in a normal way, but I was constantly changing things during shooting. Because I worked as a scriptwriter for 10 years, I understood that directors always wanted to change what was originally written, to improve on it.

I think there's a tendency with actor/directors to imagine themselves playing every part and trying to get people to follow their rhythm, their tempo, their pace. I've learned now to just love being at the center of this creative swirl.

I've heard directing talked about as being a benign dictatorship, and I think that's probably the best way a director should be. They're open to collaboration and feedback from people, but ultimately, it's got to be that one person's vision. That's what I think makes a film really stand out.

I think film and television - particularly film - you are very isolated as a writer. If you're lucky, you have a good relationship with the director. Then you do make that development and come on set and be part of something. But ultimately, your work is kind of done by the time you come on set.

I very rarely read a script that I don't feel I want to change a lot.

In Punjabi film industry I am given full freedom to change the lines according to the situation. Directors believe in my gut instinct.

I think it's helpful to aspire to make films if you feel that other people are not doing what you want to do.

I'm not really a full-time director, I just like to direct the things that I write because I think I'm going to know it better than someone else.

Alexander Payne is one of those directors who is completely in charge and knows exactly what he wants, which is really fun. It's fun when a director is very specific. He knows totally the tone that he's going for. It makes it easier than if everyone's just guessing and trying to figure it out.

At some point, I would like to start creating my own things. If people don't write the scripts I like, then I will do my own.

As an actor you have to deliver what the director wants.

I want to make movies that I would want to watch as a fan.

I think everything that I've done, I've been involved with for longer. Either you develop it from scratch, or you take something, and you develop it, and you work on the script, but I'm not sure how good I'd be at just sort of taking a piece of material and being a director for hire like that.

I make movies to be watched the way I want to watch them, and I want to watch them in movie theatres.

I like working with directors I respect, who give me freedom but also give me a good base from which to work.

If films could run because of performances, everybody's films would do well. It is the director who makes the film.

The pressure is always very high. I am the client, and when I am the client, I need to fight with the photographer or with the stylists or with all the people that are on the set, because I am the only one who has a very specific vision. I always have the pressure, either from myself or from the company. I am a control freak. It's part of my culture. I know that I am still working to build a Frida moment at Gucci.

When you start out as an actor, you read a script thinking of it at its best. But that's not usually the case in general, and usually what you have to do is you have to read a script and think of it at its worst. You read it going, "OK, how bad could this be?" first and foremost. You cannot make a good film out of a bad script. You can make a bad film out of a good script, but you can't make a good film out of a bad script.

Writer-directors are a little bit more liberal, rather than having just the writer on the set, because I think sometimes the writer becomes too precious with the words. If you're a writer-director, you can see what you're doing and see your work in action, so I think you can correct it right there and still not compromise yourself.

I don't know if I'll ever direct, but producing is dipping my toe into my behind-the-scenes world.

I think, for me, when I direct my own work it's just an extension of the authorship.

You understand what good directing is, you can identify it pretty easily.