Director's Choice Quotes

I think I was first choice for the part. I don't know - that's what they always tell you anyway. I didn't have to do any audition for the part. Sam saw me in Dinner and the whole thing slipped into place.

David Lynch saw my picture in a casting agent's office in Seattle. I got a call to see him, and the rest is history.

If you do well as an actor, a good director will pick up on it, and keep it in the film.

My job, as an actor, is to give the director options. You can only hope that the takes that you thought were the best were chosen. But, then again, if I don't watch it, I'll never know.

After I read the story of 'Dangal' and before the film released, I called director Nitish Tiwari asking him if he had any good script. He told me to wait for some time. So we had three-four sittings, and this film, 'Chhichhore,' came to him. The film did not have superstars, but I felt that this is the script that needs to be told.

When 'Director's Kut' called me and asked to come for an audition, I went for it but there was no response for a couple of days. Then I got a chance to meet Rajan Shahi and discuss the character. I liked Pammi the moment I heard about the character.

I didn't feel like going any further in this scene with the boy. He was not a professional actor, and if I had pushed the scene any further it would have destroyed the tone of the movie.

When Ron Howard rings you up and says, 'I'd like you to do my film,' you do it.

Scorsese will only work with brilliant material. And everyone wants to work with him.

The director of 500 Days of Summer is doing the Spider-Man movie. That's not necessarily the movies I want to make, but it's all about the story, and if you connect to the story, and you feel you can tell that story better than anyone else, then great. Jon Favreau killed Iron Man, I loved it.

Most of the films I myself like don't do very well. Every director, he has a choice, whether to go for subtlety and try to articulate every minute detail, or to go for the broad strokes and hope that the people will fill in between the lines. I tend to go for the broader strokes.

I was asked if I'd audition for a part in a Broadway musical because the director just loved me.

If a film is being made by an intelligent director, they're going to cast the right guy.

The character in 'Arya' was so close to my real life persona. The director saw me once and felt I was the right guy for the role because my body language was so flamboyant. In real life, too, I am very peppy and full of life.

It always surprises me when I see the director's versions of films released separately, long after the film's theatrical run.

If you've noticed that I don't use long takes, it's not because I don't like them, but because no one gives me the necessary means to treat myself to them. It's more economical to make one image, then this image and then that image, and try to control them later, in the editing studio.

I had read the Animal House script, and by hook and crook, I finally got an audition. It was a great one. John Landis followed me out into the hallway afterward and said, "I've never done this before, but you've got the job. Now don't tell anyone!" I've never had a director do that. It was one of those Hollywood-dream-come-true stories. They saw me as a surfer or cowboy, not a preppie, but someone begged and borrowed me an audition, and I went in and got it.

If I get a call from Imtiaz Ali or Zoya Akhtar to star in their films, I won't think twice.

Actors' performances in films are enhanced in a million different ways, down to the choice of camera shot by the director - whether it's in slow motion or whether it's quick cut - or... the choice of music behind the close-up or the costume that you're wearing or the makeup.

I read for 'Reservoir Dogs,' and it got down to me and Buscemi, and Quentin couldn't make up his mind. I really wanted that part, but Buscemi is great in that. I also got really close on 'Gladiator,' but Ridley Scott decided on Russell Crowe, who's perfect in it.

My English teacher always gave me scripts for plays, but I was into sports. My friend said there were small parts I could go up for, but the director gave me the part of Mozart, which was kind of the lead role. From then on I just loved it.

If the director wishes to print it, then you have a series of choices, maybe millions of choices within that minute-and-a-half, or 80 seconds, or 2 minutes or however long or short the take is, you have all those choices committed to celluloid. I find that absolutely thrilling.

It was a great circumstance when I received the script of [Chloe] and Atom [Egoyan] said he wanted me to do it. I was inclined to say 'yes' immediately.

Considering that I'm British and I talk the way I do, I love it when a director takes a chance on me.

I will work with a director who has good material because at the end of the day, that's what counts.