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So yeah, a good director will be able to listen and hear everything, but have a confident vision of his own that he can say, 'oh yeah - that's a great point.' And you never know; often you can help far more than you think you can, because there's so much more that he's juggling than an actor.

Of course there are some actors that are better than others and performances that are better than others, but they're always embedded in the greater film. They are mediated through the work of so many other people: the director directs, the lighter sets the scene, the editors edit, the music gets put to it.

I try to get the best performance an actor can give.

I'd rather have one good scene in a movie by a great director than a small role in a mediocre movie.

Good directors can bring certain things out of you, with their intensity or gentleness or sensitivity or understanding. They can make an actor feel he can do no wrong.

I've worked with actors before where I was like, this is not working, and then I've seen their work on the screen and I've been like, Wow, that was a really great performance. Because there are a lot of elements with film. It's not like stage. It's not a kind of performance art anymore; it's a highly tuned kind of collaboration - a symphony.

One's performance is often heightened by the brilliance and generosity of other actors.

I don't know what directing actors is all about apart from just casting well and then shaping their performances a bit, you know.

I think when you have some success as a kid, your notion of being a good actor is pleasing the director, doing exactly what they tell you to do.