Learn to say, “I don’t know the answer.” It could be the beginning of a very good day’s rehearsal. Sam Mendes More Quotes by Sam Mendes More Quotes From Sam Mendes Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond. Sam Mendes kings commitment years Confidence is essential, but ego is not. Sam Mendes ego essentials The importance of rehearsal is maybe you want to talk about how the scene's going to be designed, how it's going to be staged, all of those things. It's all about preparation, and deciding what mutually you don't want to do, rather than necessarily what you do. Sam Mendes rehearsal preparation want The characters are trapped within the lifestyle. It's about what goes on before the movie starts. Sam Mendes lifestyle goes-on character Truly great actors carry their characters in silence with them. They communicate without words the relationships that predate the movie. Sam Mendes silence talking character You've got to work. You've got to want an audience to sit forward in their chairs sometimes, rather than sit back and be bombarded with images. Sam Mendes bombarded-by want sometimes The movies that influenced me were movies that told their stories through pictures more than words. Sam Mendes movie stories I think movies are a director's medium in the end. Theater is the actor's medium. Theater is fast, and enjoyable, and truly rewarding. I believe in great live performance. Sam Mendes believe directors thinking I want to inspire, and be inspired. Sam Mendes inspired want inspire You think about taking audiences on a journey. Sam Mendes audience journey thinking I wanted to keep exploring... I'm not about to choose a series of movies in which I can use the same bag of tricks and style that I used in the first film. Sam Mendes bags style use I don't think good and evil are polarized. Sam Mendes good-and-evil evil thinking There's one thing better than having a great actor, and that's having a great actor who's never done this kind of role before and is hungry to do it. They're testing themselves every day. They want to get out of their trailer and get to work. Sam Mendes roles actors done I suppose once in a while, a filmmaker makes a movie that's more than just a sum of its parts, more than good acting or good filmmaking. It's something else that has nothing to do with what you've done. This is in 1999, made by people in 1999 for people in 1999 about people in 1999. Sam Mendes acting done people There have been screenwriters who I'm sure would gladly kill me, because I've been very fast and loose with their work, because I felt like it wasn't up to my high standards. I would push and pull it on set, and make changes all the time. But then when you're working with an original screenplay, my theater instincts kick in, and I suddenly become very keeper-of-the-words. Sam Mendes high-standards making-changes instinct I've directed bits of action and so I know that it's long and it's very detailed. Editing action is a good deal more exciting than shooting action. Shooting action is very, very meticulous, it's increments, tiny little pieces. Sam Mendes pieces editing long The joy of a road movie is its very simple narrative nature, which is that you know you're going to go through different places and you're going to meet new people. At the same time, you have to not make it feel too obvious and too crudely episodic. Sam Mendes simple joy people Actors get pigeonholed very quickly, particularly movie actors. In the theater, one is more used to casting people against type and trusting that their talent and skill will get them through. Sam Mendes actors skills people You've got to believe as a filmmaker that if a movie's good enough, it's going to survive; and if it's not, well, it won't. Sam Mendes filmmaker good-enough believe I am not a master-class director. I am not a teacher. I am a coach. I dont have a methodology. Each actor is different. And on the film set, you have to be next to them all. Sam Mendes class teacher directors
