You never know what you do that could be totally out of left field, which actually might work and give something fresh to the whole scene, to the character, whatever. If you have that with a director who then knows how to shape it, either in the direction, in the moment, or in the editing, then that's good.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the value of creativity and collaboration in art, highlighting unexpected contributions.
Robert De Niro's quote reflects on the unpredictability of creativity and the importance of collaboration in the artistic process. He suggests that sometimes, the most unconventional ideas can bring freshness and vitality to a project, particularly when working with a director who has the skill to refine and shape those ideas. This highlights the synergy between artistic freedom and skilled direction, which can lead to innovative and compelling results.
In practice
This quote can be used in a creative workshop to inspire participants to think outside the box.
I spent lunchtime in a grave during the filming of 'Bloody Mama.' When you're younger, you feel that's what you need to do to help you stay in character. When you get older, you become more confident and less intense about it - and you can achieve the same effect.
I think Hollywood has a class system. The actors are like the inmates, but the truth is they're running the asylum.
The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good day.
If you're an actor, always be true to your character. If you are not an actor, have character and always be true to yourself.
A writer is a palmist, reading the lines of the planet.
A life is not sufficiently elevated for poetry, unless, of course, the life has been made into an art.
A film that aims low should not be praised for hitting that target.
A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.
Space has a way of looking. It seems like it has a presence of vision. When you come into it, it is there, it’s been waiting for you.
What art seeks to disturb is monotony of type, slavery of custom, tyranny of habit, and the reduction of man to the level of a machine.
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