"A film director has to get a shot, no matter what he does. We're desperate people." — Elia Kazan

The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep.

I said to Tennessee, this thing is becoming the Marlon Brando show.

When you know what an actor has, you can reach in and arouse it. If you don't know what he has, you don't know what the hell is going on.

The more ambivalent you are and the more uncertain you are, then you can get something that you cannot anticipate.