167 Quotes by Willem Dafoe

Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.

The real difficulty for smaller films, when they're made independently and it's time to go for a distributor, sometimes if it's a tough film and the people who financed it need their money back right away, it's much easier and lucrative to take a DVD deal.

Action breeds inspiration more than inspiration breeds action.

I try to attach myself to people who really inspire me, and directors who are really passionate. That way, I can give myself more fully and trust the impulse behind why the film is being made, and I can be a little more irresponsible in finding out what the character is.

I don't have a preference between theatre and film; I like to do both. But I will say that there's something about theatre that is more nourishing and sustaining than film ever can be.

Socially, I like the idea of sitting in a theater with a bunch of people.

There's a real wisdom to not saying a thing.

I'm not attracted to naturalism, I'm not attracted to behavior, I'm attracted to dance. I'm attracted to gesture, I'm attracted to singing with your voice, as opposed to having a natural manner. I'm a theater actor first, so that probably influences a lot of my approach. And I think in many ways, naturalism has ruined movies.

You can be intuitive when you've got a more expansive role. You can get into the poetry of telling the story rather than just pushing buttons.