Brahmanandam Quotes

I basically put myself into directors' hands and let them tell me what to do, and the more they told me what to do, the more I liked it.

I'd say that the director I had most involvement with was Alex Rockwell in 'In the Soup'. It was one of my earliest leading roles, and he gave me a lot of responsibility as an actor.

I'm actually one who will encourage directors to cut my lines.

I'm a good actor in that sense for directors because I always do what they say.

What Tim does is, he calls me and sends me the script. And then he sends me a drawing, an illustration of his image of me as the character. It's so great.

When I do a film, I follow the director.

I never ask for a script when it comes to Subhash Ghai. I just do whatever he asks me to.

For me, you have to do as much work as you can beforehand and, once you get on stage or set, throw it out the window because you need to be collaborative. You shouldn't have too many ideas about where it goes before you get into the room with the director and other actors.

I'm not necessarily less gratified by films where you're given less room to maneuve. Because I love a great script, and I love to respect it, and I love to try to give a director what he needs and wants, especially having directed now. [Laughs.] I'm much more open to try to give him what he wants and figure it out. I like working with directors I respect and admire, obviously. And everybody has their own way.

I think every time you take on a new role, you're trying to help find that voice and you add your own bits and pieces along the way but with Noah [Baumbach] it's already done.

I think I can work with any type of actor.

I would be willing to do any role Duncan Sheik asked me to play.

Part of the process of acting in a film that you're also directing is really trusting the people around you to capture your vision, which hopefully you have communicated well to them.

I try to create an environment where, when we step onto the set, we're all in character.

I like working with different directors; it keeps you on your toes.

I really think the key to a film is the chemistry of people.

Cinema is a director's medium, so you're saying, 'What do you want?' Being an actor is about adapting - physically and emotionally. If that means you have to look great for it and they can make you look great, then thank you. And if you have to have everything washed away, then I'm willing to do that too.

Acting is the work of two people - it's only possible when you have the complicity, the help, even the manipulation of a director.

The best thing an actor can be is flexible, because all directors are different and all actors are different.

All these directors, and I would include the Coen brothers and Quentin, have a very unique vision of what they want. They listen to ideas and make people feel like everyone is making the film.

I always try to keep a little bit of space in the year to work with other people. Because I love doing musicals, films and plays - projects where I'm not in charge, where I've got somebody else telling me what to do and I have to work with their vision.

The first work of the director is to set a mood so that the actor's work can take place, so that the actor can create. And in order to do that, you have to communicate, communicate with the actors. And direction is about communication on all levels.

Actors want to act. I think a lot of times what happens is that they're expected to bring it all. Probably because I'm a writer, I'm not telling them what to do. I just provide them with as much as I can.

I've always taken direction pretty well.

Many plays - certainly mine - are like blank checks. The actors and directors put their own signatures on them.