I think something that every actor wants, whether they've done four movies or forty movies, is they want to find the work interesting. You want to come to work and think this is going to be a challenge.
Taika WaititiRead
I did roles that I hated, and there were roles that were detrimental to my acting ability. There were roles that I was always doing that were always the comic relief... it was destroying my soul.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggle of an artist facing roles that hinder their true potential and creativity.
Taika Waititi speaks to the experience of an actor who has taken on roles that do not resonate with them personally, particularly those that serve only as comic relief. This experience not only undermines their artistic integrity but also is described as harmful to their spirit, highlighting the importance of pursuing meaningful and fulfilling work in one’s creative journey.
Themes
ActingRolesCreativitySoulArtistic Integrity
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote during a discussion about the challenges actors face in Hollywood.
More from Taika Waititi
All quotes →If someone asked, 'What are your films like?,' the best I can come up with is that they're, like, a fine balance between comedy and drama. And they deal mainly with the clumsiness of humanity.
Taika WaititiRead
I'm not interested in doing work that doesn't captivate me.
Taika WaititiRead
People overcoming the odds is actually a really important part of humanity, and I don't think we kind of get to celebrate that as much as we should.
Taika WaititiRead
The stuff I'm passionate about is what I write; it isn't multi-million-dollar franchise movies.
Taika WaititiRead
I love films that make you feel something but also deliver that payload behind jokes.
Taika WaititiRead
Similar quotes
Most of the time one is discouraged by the work, but now and again by some grace something stands out and invites you to work on it, to elaborate it or animate it in some way. It's a mysterious process.
Leonard CohenRead
The artistic life is a long, lovely suicide.
Oscar WildeRead
To wake the soul by tender strokes of art, To raise the genius, and to mend the heart; To make mankind, in conscious virtue bold, Live o'er each Seene, and be what they behold: For this the Tragic Muse first trod the stage.
Alexander PopeRead
No author has created with less emphasis such pathetic characters as Chekhov has.
Vladimir NabokovRead
Much good art got made while money ruled; I like a lot of it, and hardship and poverty aren't virtues. The good news is that, since almost no one will be selling art, artists - especially emerging ones - won't have to think about turning out a consistent style or creating a brand. They'll be able to experiment as much as they want.
Jerry SaltzRead
I try not to think of myself in any category, and I don't ever really try to imagine myself competing with another actor. I just know I want to do the things that I would want to see, and I know the things that turn me on, whether it's on the stage, or it's a play or a film. I just kind of want to keep doing my own thing.
Paul RuddRead