Viggo Mortensen Quotes

Aamir Khan in a sense, was my first teacher for filmmaking. He used to answer my doubts on the sets of 'Joh Jeeta Wahi Sikander.'

I would love to work with someone like Kevin Spacey as he could pass on what I need to learn.

I think what makes a good actor's director is the same thing that makes a good director. Acting is just one of the trades necessary to make a movie.

I'd like to work with any actress from whom I can learn-one who has had many experiences with many directors and is willing to share some of her knowledge with me.

I learned a lot from Ana Ortiz, who plays my sister in 'Sleeping with the Fishes'.

I had watched 'Stanley Ka Dabba' and wanted to be a part of Gupte's kind of cinema. As an actor, I am hungry for diverse roles and my sole aim is to learn as much I can from him.

When I used to be a contract player in 1954 at Universal, I wasn't getting good roles. I was getting one-liners, and then I'd be gone. But I'd hang around; I'd watch guys. And when I had days off, which was most days, I'd go down and watch other sets while they were shooting. Watch Joan Crawford or whomever. Just watch how they worked and how the director handled them. I didn't know anything about making movies, and there's a lot to learn.

I always learn something from every actor I've ever worked with. I always pick something from them.

Being on set is like being in college, for me, because I get to watch other people perform and I can learn from them if I listen and pay attention.

You know, the great thing about acting or, indeed, filmmaking in general, is that we're all given a reason to do research. You kind of have to, really, if you want to know what you're doing, but it opens up this whole new understanding.

I'm looking for challenges, and as always, what matters is the script, the character and the director.

I've gotten to work with some wonderful directors and people who have been great teachers to me.

Acting is a life experience. I'm always learning things when I'm making a movie. So the fame part of it is fine when you consider what you get out of this job.

Acting has always existed alongside my normal life. It's been a case of learning on the job. I've worked in so many styles, with so many people, so I've picked bits up from everyone and everything.

It's great to work with people who are jobbing actors at different stages of their career, and learning from them, and getting over being star-struck by somebody like Ian McKellen because he has such a long prestigious history in the business, but then seeing how he works on the camera; you never stop learning.

I learn a lot from every director that I work with. I sit on set and watch them, every one.

Honestly, I really, really love making movies. It's so much fun, and I love losing myself in the moment and just being there with other actors. When you're truly in the moment and you're feeding each other, it's such an exciting thing to be a part of.

When you get to work with people like Ian McKellen or directors like Peter Jackson, you sit and watch.

Working with a guy like Ice Cube on 'Ride Along,' you learn so much. He's a guy who produces, writes, and directs, so you watch and learn and ask questions. As you go, you learn and figure out what you should and shouldn't do. I do nothing but soak up information.

As a director, I also get to sit and watch actors and learn from them in a way that I don't get to do when I'm just acting.

When I was shooting 'Mud,' every day was my favourite! I had so much fun on this film and loved working with all the cast and crew! It was a great experience.

I have definitely been curious and involved in the process; even as a young actor. I was always looking at where the camera was, what story it was telling. And as my experience grew, I wanted to know even more.

Acting is a work in progress for me. I just try to keep my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open, especially with the people I've worked with.

I feel that being an actor is a front-row seat into seeing how everybody else makes their movies. Basically, being in the trenches for ten years is like a college-level course in filmmaking if not more. It feels like every director I work with and every set that I visit as an actor, I see someone else's definition of filmmaking.

Being on the 'Alex Cross' set, and watching and learning about and paying attention to everything that was going on there, I realized, 'Here is a moment for me to learn.'