A Quote by Jurnee Smollett-Bell

My dream role is actually behind the camera. I want to direct. — © Jurnee Smollett-Bell
My dream role is actually behind the camera. I want to direct.
I want to be the person who eventually doesn't have to be in front of the camera. I can be behind the camera and really change things cinematically, and this is giving me an opportunity to do something behind the camera, which I really want to maximize.
I have plenty of dream roles because there is so much I want to do, but my dream year would be to be in a single-camera comedy and then, on my hiatus, film a little low-budget indie drama. That would be a dream 12-month period. A dream role depends on having good material and working with people that I can learn from.
I really enjoy being behind the camera. A ton of projects I've done that are my most favorite projects would be where I actually executive produce and I'm behind the camera.
The reality is, because of access to film, you don't have a lot of black people who want to go behind the camera. We raise our children to want to be in front of the camera and shine, and that's on us.
I do think that television, in its early years, played a significant role in that standard-setting, enforcing a certain decency among people. They took their role seriously, and the people behind the camera took their role seriously, too.
I think my role, I want to have a presence both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. So I can't say on one particular thing, so I'll just name them all. I'll be the jack of all trades and hopefully decent at one of them.
One of the great advantages of my time spent in movies and in basically every role possible, both in front of the camera and behind the camera, that I've gotten to see all these different ways that people work and the way movies are constructed from the inside out, from beginning to end.
When I write a project, it might be something that I want to do and then when I look at it, I'm actually like, "I kind of don't want to direct it." I don't know why, I still love it enough for it to be made and to support it, but I don't want to direct it. I just give it to other directors and they do a good job!
Being behind the camera you have control; you have the ability to make decisions for characters, for where the story line's going to go, how you want to put it out there, how you want to edit it. Acting is like where you paint on the canvas, and being behind the camera is like being either the paint or the paintbrush. They're both a part of the creative process, it's just that they have two different functions.
I've discovered that being behind the camera is more fascinating. If I had to choose a profession today, it would have been something behind the camera.
I do want to take some time and reinvent and get better and maybe get behind the camera a little more. I do want to direct at some point and start failing really early - start shooting videos and then commercials and then hopefully do some narrative.
Looking into my future, I don't always want to be in front of the camera. I want to be behind the camera and bring to life those family members of mine or people that I knew or the kids I grew up. I want people to know the different facets of black people, brown people, all people.
Singing is more of a hobby than really something I want to do for a career. But I love musical theater, so I'm hoping I can go back to it and do a role on Broadway for a few weeks. That would be a dream come true. My dream role would be Roxie in 'Chicago.'
I would love to be able to get behind the camera and direct actors. I think that would be a lot of fun.
I want to produce. I want to direct. I want to be my own camera man. I want my own boxing club. I have it all written down. I want to do everything.
I actually wanted to first direct and produce, but then I got this very cool opportunity to be in front of the camera once.
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