Artistic Mystique Quotes

Back in the day, artists could be mysterious. Now, people want to know and hear everything about you. They want to see and feel the mess that is life - and who are bigger messes than artists?

There are many artists that I know exactly where they are born and what their names are and where they live, which are still very, sort of, hidden. Even Nick Cave, who has a film about himself nowadays, is still someone who I would claim to be utterly enigmatic.

I love artists like Prince, who hold on to that element of mystery.

Bob Dylan is like an alien on this earth, and I love him! I cried when I saw him play live because I was so close to him.

Music looks very formidable to people outside of it and it looks like it's this realm of spooky genius.

There's no great mystique to photography. A lot of photographers like to put their hands up to their forehead and tell you how they've suffered and so forth. Well, I just rent a car and drive to the place and take the pictures.

It is true that social media, nowadays, is important, but I don't understand everyone needing to know everything about an artist or an actor because it loses the intrigue and mystery. And then, when you're watching them as a character, you can't watching them as a character. You can only watch them as the public figure that they have presented themselves to be. I hate when people say, "Well, that's what you signed up for. That's how it is." No its not. That's not what you signed up for.

How you prepare for a role is entirely your business in my point of view. There is little enough mystery anymore left in the world in the part of our profession, which should be clouded in mystery because it isn't in the public. You don't want the magician to show his tricks or how he did them do you? So I do think that is a very private thing that we actors should protect ourselves from.