Steve Buscemi Quotes on Movies (11 Quotes)

It wasn't until my senior year in high school that I started acting.

My real training as an actor was when I started doing theatre.

On big films there is a lot of pressure on the director, because they have so much money. The way I approach it as an actor is pretty much the same.

I didn't think I'd ever be able to do movies. That was for serious actors.

The director I had most involvement with was Alex Rockwell. He gave me a lot of responsibility as an actor.

Trees Lounge is based on my own life. Both my parents like the movie. My father, of course, thinks it's a masterpiece.

All these directors, and I would include the Coen brothers and Quentin, have a very unique vision of what they want. They listen to ideas and make people feel like everyone is making the film.

They're not thinking of how it's going to please a mass audience, ... They're really writing it for themselves, and trusting there's an audience out there for what they have to say. Whenever you make a film, there's always compromises you have to make just to get it made, but you really have to ask yourself, 'How much am I willing to compromise to get it up on screen' and at what point do the compromises mean that you're not really making the movie you wanted to make.

Communication is the key, and it's one thing I had to learn-to talk to the actors. I was so involved with the visual and technical aspects that I would forget about the actors.

What was frustrating about Armageddon was the time I spent not doing anything. It was a big special effects film, and I wasn't crazy about pretending I was in outer space. It feels ridiculous.

When I was a fireman I was in a lot of burning buildings. It was a great job, the only job I ever had that compares with the thrill of acting. Before going into a fire, there's the same surge of adrenaline you get just before the camera rolls.