Judi Dench Quotes

I try to direct myself the way I direct the other actors who come on my show.

I'm happiest when I can just be a director and watch.

I think being directed and mentored by someone as inspirational as Paul Feig not only improves my performance but, as a whole, makes it what it is.

You're never in control. That - that is the greatest fallacy of the - you know, there's over 200 people that it requires to make a film. And there's people who are in control of how you look, what your performance is, what takes are used, what - you're only in control of how you say no.

It's not easy to act, but to direct to act. It goes form one place to the next. It's not heading for the punchline, and also it's not about scoring goals. It's about passing the ball, and the goals will come by themselves.

Good directors can bring certain things out of you, with their intensity or gentleness or sensitivity or understanding. They can make an actor feel he can do no wrong.

I always had to genuinely like the actors I worked with and use my enthusiasm and vision to give them confidence to push their creativity and their humor.

Directors have to push me. I have to be pushed up. Not all the time, but often.

Whenever I've directed something, there's this feeling of demand and focus that I like.

If you're willing to do it as good as you're willing to think up to do it, that's what your mind is there for, and you deliver excellence right now, now being the only moment you can control or do anything with or be creative with.

An actor's job is about putting across the author's intention; I don't think of myself on the same level as a creator.

I direct with energy. I believe in energy. I think energy is an electric thing in actors. I try to inspire, encourage, and make choices with lots of energy. And truth. I'm big fan of truth and being funny. I like leading 50 people into battle every day.

Directing, I just feel comfortable. I know what I want. I know what I want from my crew. I lead by example. I have limitless energy as a director.

I record cello Etudes that are fewer than four minutes long and post them on YouTube. How can one execute fully-formed ideas with utmost perfection, yet stay free enough to allow improvisatory nuance? This has immediate application in almost every area of life, but especially in performance.

I measure everything, because I always think that if I've spent so much time making sure this recipe was exactly the way I want it, why would I want to throw things into a pot?

Opera happens because a large number of things amazingly fail to go wrong.

When you work with a great director, you realise you are far from being a director.

I wasn't very good as a puppet. A lot of times in a movie, you need a really good puppeteer: you're sort of a puppet, and you're doing what you can. But I always, from the beginning, was kind of making up my own stuff from stand-up and sort of directing myself, so I wasn't very good in movies where I didn't have control.

For me, the director is the most important thing. He is steering the boat. If you don't trust him, you won't be able to give him your all.

Directing feels great; I'm really happy to be doing this.

I think there's something special about getting a moment perfect or near perfect. In a film, you can do that.

I can lead my team.

Haseeb Hassan is a fantastic director. He really understands characters and their relationships. He always gives sound advice and direction.

If I feel the role is not going to demand anything out of me, I don't do it. Either it has to be a terrific role, or the director has to be someone I am dying to work with. Or the costar has to be someone I really look up to.

When I work in a film like an actor, I do not interfere or try to use my seniority or impose anything on the filmmaker.