Wise Words

Below are various things that Alan has been quoted as saying, most are about himself as an actor or acting in general as he likes to keep his personal life private.

quotepic-1Acting touches nerves you have absolutely no control over.

All I want to see from an actor is the intensity and accuracy of their listening.

Each character I play has different dimensions. I’m not interested in words that pull them together.

I don’t think it’s right that everybody knows everything about me.

I think there’s some connection between absolute discipline and absolute freedom.

I think worrying things are going on in England – a real apathy.
I was 7, and I remember being given a part in a play and thinking, This is exciting.

I’m a quite serious actor who doesn’t mind being ridiculously comic.

I’m always aware of the camera and it feels like that’s the audience.

I want to swim in both directions at once.
Desire success, court failure.

I’ve never been able to plan my life. I just lurch from indecision to indecision.

If only life could be a little more tender and art a little more robust.

quotepic-2If people want to know who I am, it is all in the work.

If you could build a house on a trampoline, that would suit me fine.

If you spend any time in Los Angeles, there’s only one topic of conversation.

It would be wonderful to think that the future is unknown and sort of surprising.

Market forces impose certain rules before a film can actually get made.

Maverick is a word which appeals to me more than misfit. Maverick is active, misfit is passive.


My idea of a real treat is Magic Mountain without standing in line.

My parents certainly didn’t have anything to do with the theater. I’m some kind of accident.

quotepic-1Nothing gives me as much pleasure as travelling. I love getting on trains and boats and planes.

On film you put all your energies into a single glance.

One longs for a director with a sense of imagination.

Talent is an accident of genes – and a responsibility.

The audience should feel like voyeurs. Their response is absolutely crucial.

There’s a voice inside you that tells you what you should do.

What is it about actors? God knows I get bored with actors talking about themselves.

What’s interesting about the process of acting is how often you don’t know what you’re doing.


When I get off the plane in England I always feel about two inches shorter.

Who I am gets in the way of people looking innocently at the parts I play.

You can lull the paying customers as long as they get slapped.