Dominic West Quotes

In France, if you have any sort of talent, you'd better keep it here. And if you're going to go abroad, it had better not be America. The old battle - American versus Frog cinema. It's ridiculous.

We have a lot of American TV in Australia. I grew up watching 'Seinfeld,' 'The Simpsons' and those prime time TV shows over the years that feature grown-ups and high school kids. We had a saturation of American voices.

I've always found it strange that a director can hire any designer he wants from any country. But if he hires a foreign actor, it's like he's stolen the crown jewels and run across the river with them.

It's a phenomenon that I see with young actors - a lot of American speaking parts going to British actors.

The immense popularity of American movies abroad demonstrates that Europe is in the unfinished negative of which America is the proof.

It's so funny how it's impossible for an American actor to play an English part or an Australian part. But by all means, come and bastardize our accent as much as you want.

Before we came along, it would be like, 'Yes, thank God, we have the U.S. as our first fight.' Now it's like, 'Uh-oh, we have a Lopez in our division.'

This is what the difference is between Hong Kong and Chinese cinema - Chinese cinema was made for their own communities. It was for propaganda. But Hong Kong made films to entertain, and they know how to communicate with international audiences.

So many people from the West are coming into India, all the studios have come into India, and they're making films here, whether that's Fox, Warner Bros, Disney, everyone. That stands as testament for us, so why are we afraid of sharing our talent with the world? We must.

People still say to me, 'What, you still live in Mexico?' I don't have to go to the United States simply to find work, and I don't have to stop what I'm doing. I mean, which Hollywood film beats 'The Motorcycle Diaries?'

Traveling, I've met Ghanaian people who have seen me in minor stuff, but they see the name Ato Essandoh, and they recognize it as a Ghanaian name. They come up to me and are always so excited. You don't think about it, but they really absorb American culture.

I've sold shows based on my standup twice to CBS, but they've never gone past the script stage. TV is very competitive.

The multiculturalism of Britain is one of our greatest strengths in music, literature, and visual art, but the TV and film industry doesn't tap into the multicultural talent pool in the U.K. as much as they do in the U.S.

I think I am kind of put on this Earth to speak of being between worlds in my films.

It's super trippy coming to America because we know everything about it - from music and film. I know what a Southern accent sounds like; I know what a New York accent sounds like.

Also, the times have changed, the Punjabi cinema is growing. Movies and songs are being made in such a manner that even a non-Punjabi can relate to them.

Once the Internet removes geography as a constraint, the smartest people go to the most beautiful places.

Yoga is not Indian; it does not belong to India.

The job of an artist is to entertain and not get involved with politics. We give the people in the countries we are visiting a good show - that's the purpose of an entertainer.

I have 50 rejected TV show ideas. I think when I hit 100, then I'll feel like I really started to make it.

In 'National Geographic,' you always saw pictures of tribal Africa. And here I am, sitting in Nairobi in our suburban house, watching TV and thinking, 'Why is it always going to be these tribal people 'that are the ambassadors of our image?

In every writers' room I've been in, the first 15-20 minutes of the day are spent discussing water cooler moments from last night's big shows.

From jazz, the blues, country and rock to Hollywood movies, culture has in many ways been our greatest export (or our most obnoxious one, depending on your point of view).

I think of Westernized culture as a good visual for my music.

I am undoubtedly a 100 percent Bollywood product, but my heart truly lies in making music for the world and taking India global.