Quotes from Max von Sydow

In a silent film, you speak but the audience does not hear you.

The more I had to act like a saint, the more I felt like being a sinner.

To me, part of the fascinating profession of acting is to participate in all these strange situations, to try to understand all these interesting characters, fictitious or real, their human nature... It's extraordinarily fascinating.

During my military service, I performed a sketch in which I played a flea called Max. So when critics kept misspelling my name, I decided to change it and thought, 'Ah! Max!'

Playing Christ, I began to feel shut away from the world. A newspaper became one of my biggest luxuries. I noticed that some of my close friends began treating me with reverence.

Producers are not gamblers. They want a good return on their investment.

Playing the role of Christ was like being in a prison. It was the hardest part I've ever had to play in my life. I couldn't smoke or drink in public. I couldn't.

No doubt, the most important thing in my career was my time with Mr. Bergman, with whom I worked in so many films and also in so many stage productions, so it was a continuous working relationship and also a friendship, of course, that lasted for so many years.

New York is a fascinating city. I think it's a very inspiring city, but it's overpowering when you get older. It tires me now. But it's wonderful for young people - very inspiring and full of surprises and full of ideas.

When I was brought up in Sweden, there was a great opportunity for young people to learn how to act in our municipal theaters with their small companies. You would be under contract for eight months and have the summer free to take other opportunities.

The most difficult part of playing Christ was that I had to keep up the image around the clock. As soon as the picture finished, I returned home to Sweden and tried to find my old self. It took six months to get back to normal.

My parents were brought up in families which believed theatre people weren't to be trusted. But they were nice people.

In a theater, the part is mine and I can control it as I want to. In the movies, I don't have direct contact, and I am fighting technical machinery

I've been the type of father who tries desperately to be perfect but doesn't succeed all the time.

Spielberg knows his craft so well, he can also improvise, and that is a lot of fun.

The offers I get are for grandfathers, uncles - and they often die very quickly in the script.

Italians are great improvisers. If something unforeseen happens, they throw up their hands, and they adjust.

There are those who want to believe but can't, and there are those who believe as children and it's no problem for them at all.

Unfortunately, not all stories end positively.

I would love to do parts I have never done before, but unfortunately, if you have had success in a particular type of character, the casting agents think, 'Oh! We'll have something exactly like that.' It's very boring.

I remember those days with Bergman with great nostalgia. We were aware that the films were going to be quite important, and the work felt meaningful.

I just feel I shouldn't work too much, because there are so many other things to do

The idea of working with Steven Spielberg was very attractive. He's such a master. He knows the language of the camera and of filmmaking, which gives him a great freedom.

A vacation spot out of season always has a very special magic.