Quotes from Clive Owen

If you are making a script based on a book it can be frustrating going back to the source novel, because you're turning the story into a totally different thing; the narrative of film is different from that of a book.

You see these actresses who have had Botox or something else done, and it takes you out of the film.

I watch a film and the most important thing to me is what I think of the movie.

Ultimately, to have a career in movies, to a certain extent, certainly in England, you can't sustain a career in just English movies.

There's certainly a huge element of luck in me ending up where I've ended up.

I never wanted to be a movie star.

I have a problem with a lot of men's fragrances because they are very strong. Somebody somewhere thinks that masculine means powerful smells, and I find them overbearing and not very pleasant.

When you are shooting action, there is a satisfying thing because your objectives are very clear.

You won't find a better young actor than Jaeden Lieberher. I ended up having one of the best times with him, really. Going to work with him every day was a treat.

A huge part of acting in movies is appetite. You do your best work when you've got a lot of appetite and you really want to embrace something. When you get tired, you don't have that hunger.

As far as career goes, make sure you're in it for the right reasons - and make sure that the work itself is the most important thing.

I like to play characters that are convincing, that aren't just straightforward and nice.

Movies are certainly a director's medium, so getting the opportunity to work with really good directors is everything to me.

America's been very, very good to me. I've been very lucky and worked a lot there, and appreciate and love the work that I've done.

You come ready to work when you know that you are going to get a couple of gos and it. It kind of galvanizes everything and there is something about it that keeps it very alive.

I don't like being consumed by work all the time. I consume myself so much when I do a part that I like to step away from it.

One of the things I'm most proud of about my career is the fact I've managed to keep options open.

I always want my options to be open.

Parenthood and family come first for me, and when I'm not working I'm cool with the Teletubbies.

I want to be in movies that stand the test of time.

I couldn't bear a marriage in which one partner hinges on the other.

You go back to those films of the '40s and '50s and hear the dialogue, the way the people played off each other - the wordplay. I think we've really lost that in movies.

The thing about Hemingway that people forget is that all the stuff he did was at a time where people weren't traveling that much. At 19 he travels to Italy. He goes to the Spanish Civil War. He goes to China, he goes to Africa so at that time to travel that much is really incredible.

Ultimately, to have a career in movies, to a certain extent, certainly in England, you can't sustain a career in just English movies.