Panos Cosmatos Quotes

Anyone who has been given the gift of being opposite an actor who gives and gives, it just makes you better.

I think, you know, actors rely on each other all the time.

I like playing off strong actors, whether it's Benedict Cumberbatch or Dominic Cooper. Also I'm a hopeless romantic, so I'm fascinated by relationships.

The more and more I work with really great actors, the more it's about opening yourself up to what they bring.

Casting, to me, is always the same. It's a very important part of a director's job. I pick people that I sense I'd like to be in a room with and will enjoy the rehearsal process with because that's the best part.

One of the exciting and enjoyable aspects of acting is being in the environment with another actor.

Once I'm on set, the only thing I'm really interested in is being in the room. Being present. And trusting that what I've done is sufficient, and I'm also trusting that I've also left room for magic.

You hear stories about directors using manipulation to get actors to do certain things, but I think when you're working with professional actors, it's all about trust. They can do anything you want, it's just a matter of them understanding what you're looking for, and the reason why.

My background with Cummings was rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, but Tuesday liked to walk in and do the scene. I must say that she was really wonderful. Aggravating, but wonderful.

I choose my actors well and get to know the quirks of their personalities - and, most of all, I share humor with them. Then I keep my eyes open when they rehearse and perform, because you never know where the next stimulation comes from.

People say to me, 'Well, how do you direct Meryl Streep?' You're not wandering over to Meryl telling her how to act. She's an extraordinary talent and unbelievably hard working; she works harder than anyone I have ever worked with before.

I think every actor would probably say that it's always a collaboration. And if you ask directors, they'll tell you that they expect the actors to bring something. They don't want to be thinking for everybody.

Working with Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch was incredible.

More than anything else, I love to act and leave the rest to my director.

When you work with good actors, you feed off each others' energies.

If two actors can communicate well during a scene, it works and makes for good chemistry.

Janet Carroll and Robert Pine, Chris Pine's dad, were in my first play, and they were so astonishingly good, I felt it raised my game instantly.

I have had some great co-actors to work with like Richa Chadha, Taapsee Pannu and Alia Bhatt. I really value these big co-stars because if they are in sync with you, it makes you a better actor.

As an actor, it was great to work with Harry Lloyd because he's wicked smart, and he is very kind.

It usually starts with the director and any other creatives who may be involved at the start. It's a collaboration. I bring what I have naturally and, hopefully, what they cast me for, and then we start playing and tweaking until we have what they feel's right. It helps to have some artwork to inspire me, but I don't always get that luxury.

I just had such a lucky experience working with incredible actors, getting to see their work ethics, their different techniques... Jeff Bridges is such a legend! Getting to watch him and see how he worked was a blessing.

I never like to sit and discuss my character, the other character, our relationship, or anything like that. I feel like if I did my job and I trust that the other person has done theirs, you just go on set, play around with it, chew the scene for a little bit; then we roll, and that's it.

As an actor, one is constantly reading scripts and interacting with creative teams. Sometimes, things work and sometimes, they don't. It's never in an actor's hands.

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.

I'm an actor, and I love the art of creating a character.