Quotes About Interpretation

The man I lived with is a Christian, so I would talk to him about it. What would this person do in the Bible? What's the story around this person? Generally, when people talk about characters in the Bible, there's one thing they're known for, like Job.

It's hard to compare actors from different generations.

'Little Women' has interesting gender connotations. There are generations of women who love the book. But there are a lot of men who think it's sentimental, gooey stuff.

Comedy is one of the hardest genres. You can tell if it's working or not. If the director is convinced of the vision, you have to have faith in that.

I find myself more genuinely drawn to the essence of Beethoven in Schnabel than I ever have been by anybody.

I've thought a lot about the world and how George Bush sees the world and it ain't even close.

I understand German; I can read German.

Sometimes I don't use the words 'will' and 'want' in the right way. The German word 'will' is the English word 'want,' so that's a little bit of the problem.

I have a big problem with conductors who gesture a lot.

When I watch an actress say a line, I watch how they deliver the lines with gestures.

I've tried not to treat Shakespeare as a marble giant.

Enemies' gifts are no gifts and do no good.

I don't want a performance to give me everything. You can look at Charlotte Rampling in '45 Years,' and you don't really know what she's thinking, but you know something interesting is happening.

Some people will basically just shred all over everything, even a ballad. I'm glad I wasn't born with that genetic chip - the need to just wheedle-whee all over the place.

One man's content is another woman's crap. And the crappy content - let's call it crontent - will never go away.

When we watch 'Scarface' or 'The Godfather', we look at the characters for what they are and the story through them.

For me, it's an experiment to see what people are gonna think of it.

We're not gonna misread our mandate.

I think good acting is always character acting.

I don't know how you can tell a good actor in the movies. I really don't. I think you simply just do the part and hope to God that the director has a good cutter and a good editor, and it'll all get cut and put together so that you look good in it.

I feel there are only well acted or badly acted roles and no such thing as a good actor or actress.

I don't believe there is any line bad enough that a good actor can't save.

A good actor just wants to deliver the writing to the audience who've paid that night. There's an agonising desire to get it right.

What a good actor brings to a script is something, sometimes, even directors can't imagine. The director should always have the last say though.