Being a good actor isn’t easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to be both before I’m done.
JAMES DEANOn these days I go to my studio, leaf through an art history book, and tell myself that I am part of this great tradition.
More James Dean Quotes
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Being a senior in high school means you’re not only getting closer to adulthood, but also ready to start thinking about your dreams and aspirations, whether that’s applying for college, joining the military, or seeing the world.
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And he must be allowed the space, the freedom to express himself in the role. Without that space, an actor is no more than an unthinking robot with a chest-full of push-buttons.
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Being a good actor isn’t easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to be both before I’m done.
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If you’re not afraid, if you take everything you are, everything worthwhile in you and direct it at one goal, one ultimate mark, you’ve got to get there.
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What do we need all that for?”If a picture is psychologically motivated, if there is truth in the relationship in it, then I think that picture will do good.
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I have made great strides in my craft. After months of auditioning, I am very proud to announce that I am a member of the Actors Studio.
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I have a fairly adequate knowledge of Satanic forces.
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Remember: Life is short, break the rules
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Trust and belief are two prime considerations. You must not allow yourself to be opinionated.
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My purpose in life does not include a hankering to charm society.
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You are who you are meant to be. Dance as if no one’s watching. Love as if it’s all you know. Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.
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It is the best thing that can happen to an actor. I am one of the youngest to belong. If I can keep this up and nothing interferes with my progress
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I firmly believe Rebel Without A Cause is such a picture.
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I’m not going to go through life with one arm tied behind my back.
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Studying cows, pigs and chickens can help an actor develop his character. There are a lot of things I learned from animals. One was that they couldn’t hiss or boo me.
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Reality doesn’t have any preconceived ideas. You’ve got to learn how to smoke the cigarette, not act smoking the cigarette.
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When an actor plays a scene exactly the way a director orders, it isn’t acting. It’s following instructions.
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A good boy, and I’m very proud of him. Not easy to understand, no sir. He’s not easy to understand. But he’s all man, and he’ll make his mark.
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I can’t let in the light.It will destroy my performance like light destroys film
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But you can’t show some far off idyllic conception of behavior if you want the kids to come and see the picture.
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I think the one thing this picture shows that’s new is the psychological disproportion of the kids’ demands on the parents.
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Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.
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To me, acting is the most logical way for people’s neuroses to manifest themselves, in this great need we all have to express ourselves.
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Mind you, my boy will make his mark.
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Parents are often at fault, but the kids have some work to do, too.
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Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.
JAMES DEAN