Of course there are some actors that are better than others and performances that are better than others, but they're always embedded in the greater film. They are mediated through the work of so many other people: the director directs, the lighter sets the scene, the editors edit, the music gets put to it.
My strength is with actors. I think I'm good at working with them to get the best performances, at seeing what it is that they have and that the story needs.
There are some actors that are great stars and storytellers, but not necessarily good actors. I'm talking about some - not all - of the people you see in action flms or blockbusters. They're film stars, though not necessarily great actors. And there are those who are great actors, but not necessarily big film stars. Jim Sturgess is both. He's quite obviously a star, the audience likes him, he's a great storyteller and he turned out to be one of the greatest actors I've worked with as well.
The one immutable reality of film is, no matter how wonderful the actors and the performances are, every year the actors age and grow older - Sophie Turner's Jean Grey was wonderful!
When you don't have your best results or best performances, you want to get back out there as soon as you can to get it out of your system.
We work so hard as young artists to further our careers or improve our technique, sometimes it gets so easy to not actually go and see things like a play or a film. I think the best way to get better is to see other actors do what they do well.
Some people get really worried about non-actors, but I think you can get brilliant performances out of people.
Actors' performances do not stand alone in any film, live action or whatever.
It's not often that I read about actors that I'm going to be meeting. I get to read articles about actors who were going to come in, so I get to see someone and say, "Oh, I read that I was going to see you. It's very nice to see you."
Someone who is comfortable, someone who is happy, you see them immediately sit up, stand up and feel better about themselves. If you're able to capture that in a picture, that's the most beautiful picture you can ever take of someone.
Any film that you see is never just the director. If it's a film that you love, it's not so easy to say, "Oh it's directed by this person - that means everything that person directs is going be wonderful."
The images are designed, so that after you see the picture two or three times, its no longer my film, it starts to be your film, You recognize the people, you know them, and you don’t even know who directed the picture. PlayTime is nobody.
For me, 'Mary Magdalene' is the most beautiful film I've shot with the performances and the script and the actors and ensemble. But not one saw it.
Encountering a real place enhances the performances of actors in subtle ways and changes the spiritual texture of the film.
I'm not a great director or an auteur; I'm an ensemble director. I do think I can get wonderful performances out of actors.
I've always believed that as actors, one of the biggest advantages of being in the film business - not just of being actors, but being in this industry - is the fact that you get to travel so much, and you get to see places that you probably would not if you went just as a tourist.