QuoteProject
The first thing you should do with an actor is not sign a contract with him. Take him to dinner. And take him for a walk afterwards.
Elia Kazan
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Building a relationship with an actor is more important than formal agreements.

Elia Kazan emphasizes the importance of personal connection and understanding in the relationship between a director and an actor. By taking the time to have a meal and share a walk, it highlights the value of fostering trust and rapport before engaging in professional commitments, suggesting that the best collaborations stem from genuine interpersonal relationships.

Themes

RelationshipActorDinnerTrustCollaboration

In practice

Example use cases

During a team-building retreat, you could share this quote to emphasize the importance of personal connections.

More from Elia Kazan

You've got to keep fighting; you've got to risk your life every six months to stay alive.
Elia KazanRead
Acting... was the biggest charge I ever had. What other artist has it so good? Approval so quick?
Elia KazanRead
I've come to believe that everything worth achieving is beyond one's capacity - or seems so at first. The thing is to persist, not back off, fight your fight, pay your dues, and carry on. Effort is all; continue and you may get there despite everything.
Elia KazanRead
A good director's not sure when he gets on the set what he's going to do.
Elia KazanRead
To be a member of the Communist Party is to have a taste of the police state. It is a diluted taste but it is bitter and unforgettable.
Elia KazanRead
I've lost many of my best friends... I'm going to satisfy myself now, not the critics, not even my friends.
Elia KazanRead

Similar quotes

You see, we are here, as far as I can tell, to help each other - our brothers, our sisters, our friends, our enemies. That's to help each other, not hurt each other.
Stevie Ray VaughanRead
We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are - whether it's here in the United States or, as Hillary (Clinton) mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.
Barack ObamaRead
Dumbledore paused, and although his voice remained light and calm, and he gave no obvious sign of anger, Harry felt a kind of chill emanating from him and noticed that the Dursleys drew very slightly closer together. β€œYou did not do as I asked. You have never treated Harry as a son. He has known nothing but neglect and often cruelty at your hands. The best that can be said is that he has at least escaped the appalling damage you have inflicted upon the unfortunate boy sitting between you.
J. K. RowlingRead
I've learned that my people are not the only ones oppressed... I have sung my songs all over the world and everywhere found that some common bond makes the people of all lands take to Negro songs as their own.
Paul RobesonRead
As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.
Amy PoehlerRead
The people who have adored me-- there have not been very many, but there have been some-- have always insisted on living on, long after I had ceased to care for them, or they to care for me.
Oscar WildeRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.