Mahershala Ali Quotes

I would say that Pixar is doing for animation what Chaplin did for film, infusing it with heart and characters that you care about and stories that you lose yourself in. They are similar revolutionaries and changing a medium.

Always when you are doing films, the themes swallow you in one way or another.

Every once in a while I feel the tremendous force of the novel. But it does not stay with me.

My favorite part of the whole filmmaking process is working with a fantastic cinematographer, a fantastic actor or actors, and then just creating emotions and stories. I get so excited by that. That's the part I'm utterly addicted to.

I think every character I've ever come up with has been based on someone or something I've known.

When I saw 'Talk to Her' for the first time, I was crying out loud because I couldn't imagine that I was doing that film.

It so depends on each script, because you can say... I always thought I wouldn't have wanted to do something that was kind of like as big and commercial as 'The Dark is Rising,' but I really liked the script. I thought it was really clever.

Feature film can have a major role in explaining ideas and describing peoples' lives and their struggles.

I greatly admire how the essence of Nitesh Tiwari's films resonate with you long after you've left the theatre.

'Game Of Thrones' was too big a canvas for a movie, but 'Dirty White Boys' is like a great old Western: there's so much compression, and it's so pressurized, it demands to be told in one sitting.

Film as a medium, like a novel as a medium, possesses a unique ability to communicate. Film is capable of communicating in a way that no other medium can, and I would say the same for the novel.

I don't really make movies with an intention other than asking myself, 'Do I love the character, and do I love the story?'

I worked with HBO on 'Recount,' and we had a wonderful experience together. I'm such a fan of HBO and how much flexibility they give in character as well as schedule.

It's funny: the reason I did 'Beautiful Creatures' was the same reason I did everything else - even though it was a genre film and existed at a more studio level, the script and the characters were so well written.

I'm just first of all looking for a part that's well written and speaks to me.

I pick different projects for different reasons. Usually, it's a combination of things. I admire the director, and I am interested in working with the director. Or, it's the cast. I can be moved by the story. The ideal situation is you love the director and you love the cast.

Every film is a human encounter. It's people trying to collaborate and create something together.

'MotherFatherSon' was just an extraordinary read and I wanted to be a part of it.

Eventually, when I got the 'Meadowland' script, I saw something in it that made me think I could make something special out of it, something that could work with my style. Emotionally, I connected to it. I thought, 'If I feel this way just imagining it, maybe we can make that happen on screen and make people feel something when they watch it.'

I guess I gravitate towards stories that I like and directors that I want to work with, and I hope that it works out.

Hollywood has cracked emotions very well with animation, and that is where India will eventually cover because it is an emotional country, and we just want a right story to tell, which will stir the right emotions with the audience.

Event cinema is what it is, and I understand why it's successful. It started with things like 'Jaws,' which are extraordinary movies. But what we've lost are great character films which are beautifully directed and had great movie stars in them. Films that were about something rather than about spectacle.

My criteria is always, 'Would I go see this movie? Is this character something I've never done? Who is the director? Do they inspire me?'

I hope people like me in the film and love the film because I think 'Befikre' is a very sweet film.

I would love to do regional cinema, provided the role is exciting enough and artistically challenging.