Steven Soderbergh Quotes

What you write sets the visual style for the film. But you have to compromise your style in your first few films before people let you do what you want to do.

My career has suddenly started to be the one that I'd always wanted, not in terms of level of success, but in terms of - and this is what I've been banging on about - playing different parts in different media.

Writing and directing your own film, for me, has been the best experience of my life.

I worked with some directors, and it was really collaborative, and I was sort of writing with them. I was giving so many pieces of myself to their movies, I thought, 'It's about time I use my own voice for me, and establish my own voice.' So I knew I wanted to make films.

I feel like everyone directs their own career according to their taste, what they migrate to emotionally and what kind of artists they want to work with. And I'm lucky enough to be in a position where I can wait six months for a project that really interests me.

I am in that glorious position where I can redesign and re-package my own work.

What career? A man's got a body of film of about four movies in about 10 years or something. I do it because I think I can do a good job of something and I'll enjoy it, do it, and sort of vanish. I don't want to be an actor for hire.

There's a lot of jobs that you can do that you can be miserable at. Making movies should not be one of them.

I'm at the point in my career now, where I can take a bit of time to find exactly what roles are that I want to do and not work myself into a corner. I love acting and I love who I'm becoming, as I evolve as a human being. My work is an important part of me, which may or may not be healthy, so I need to do things that I love. I want to tell interesting stories, discover things about myself, and other people. The only way to do that is to not take jobs that feel repetitive or boring to me because then you're stuck doing that job instead of finding the thing that speaks to you.

Films should involve a director's idiosyncrasies as much as possible I think.

Everyone wants to do only those films which they find interesting. That is the way the industry works.

I am an artist, and I will always be working. But a film should match my personality and should be primarily based on a woman for me to go forward with it.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's career is kind of how I want to create my career. He's very involved with his recording and production company and also worked on some really great projects.

When I began to direct, I discovered that I was much more comfortable than I was acting.

There will always be some films that the audience would like and some that they don't. But if I start becoming a slave to appreciation, I will be subjecting myself and my talent to one particular type of taste. I don't want to do that.

As long as I can make the films I want to make in decent conditions, I am happy.

There are very few actors in L.A. who can call their own shots. If you're able to work on something that you actually like working on, you're a very lucky person, and if you're able to keep it going, you're very fortunate.

After I got back my career and my artistic freedom in 1982, my golden rule is the music must never suffer.

I've always been an independent producer. I'd kind of like to be hired help for a change. I don't mind that.

Ultimately, I think what I want from my career is to be able to create work for myself, and there's only so much you can do as an actor in a movie.

I've always said from starting off, 'I don't mind if I'm in a big budget film or a huge play or something small in London playing for 50 people, as long as I'm doing what I love doing for a living.'

A lot of my stuff just wasn't saleable. I still don't do private or corporate commissions. It becomes like interior design. I don't enjoy it. The process makes me feel physically sick.

All filmmakers want the option to make another film, to have it not always be such an uphill battle - for it to be our life, our working life.

I grew up with a concept of cinema as a directorial thing, meaning the director is allowed to sail the ship. Not a dictatorial thing.

Don't manage your career. Follow your dream and contribute.