Kevin Spacey Quotes & Sayings

I've done big studio films and the big studio films I've done, I've tried to do the interesting ones and the ones where I could live with myself in the morning. — Kevin Spacey

Studios and networks who ignore either shift - whether the increasing sophistication of storytelling, or the constantly shifting sands of technological advancement - will be left behind, — Kevin Spacey

It's the details and the human element that makes 'Recount' entertaining. Even though we know how the election ends, it plays like a thriller. It's also funny. — Kevin Spacey

When you're just able to distill it down to the idea and the feeling that a character is experiencing in a scene, it can become very, very razor sharp and really clean and really efficient and simple. And sometimes it takes twenty-five years to learn how to be simple. — Kevin Spacey

Politics and acting are very closely tied. The job is to convince. — Kevin Spacey

If someone can watch an entire season of a TV series in one day, doesn't that show an incredible attention span? — Kevin Spacey

The work of John Lennon was marked by its exquisite beauty and by its brutal honesty. — Kevin Spacey

If you go out eight times and play tennis eight times this week, yeah, it's the same rules, but it's a different game every time you're out on that court. You're working on a different part of your game every time you're out on that court; your partner's working on a different part of their game, and the act of being watched changes it. — Kevin Spacey

The story is everything, which means it's our job to tell better stories. — Kevin Spacey

If you haven't turned rebel by twenty you've got no heart; if you haven't turned establishment by thirty you've got no brains! — Kevin Spacey

I went through a period of great rebellion within my family, when I was about 9 or 10. I was mad, I had no focus, had no real interest in anything, and so I started to do things that were just rebellious and stupid. — Kevin Spacey

I'm aware that, from the outside, this looks like I've got quite an ego. — Kevin Spacey

As a producer or financier, you are going to go where you get the best bang for your buck. — Kevin Spacey

If it were not for people who stepped forward and gave me opportunities at a time when I had not proved myself at all, believe me, I would not have a career. — Kevin Spacey

I am now a commander of the British Empire. — Kevin Spacey

Edward Norton and I have known each other awhile. I just think he's the real deal, supremely talented and smart. He's got a great sense of humor. — Kevin Spacey

I never wanted to go to the Old Vic and not have it survive long after I was gone. It's not about me; it's about that theater. And the more that it's able to grow and do everything it should do without me, then I've done my job. — Kevin Spacey

I've always found it strange that a director can hire any designer he wants from any country. But if he hires a foreign actor, it's like he's stolen the crown jewels and run across the river with them. — Kevin Spacey

Have we become so celebrity-obsessed that there is no longer a difference between a character and an actor? I hope not. — Kevin Spacey

I think people love it when anybody acts bad; it's not particular to me. — Kevin Spacey

President Obama will go down as having passed some of the most historic bills in the history of this country. — Kevin Spacey

I'm a relatively ugly character who's done pretty damn well in film. — Kevin Spacey

A man can convince anyone hes someone else but never himself. — Kevin Spacey

The fact is that HBO is doing the kind of films and the kind of stories that the movie industry used to do. You look at a lot of the specialty sections of studios that have gone under ... and there's no doubt in my mind why filmmakers and screenwriters and actors are ending up at a place like HBO. They do it better than anybody. — Kevin Spacey

I don't play villainy. I wouldn't even know how to play it. — Kevin Spacey

Over a spell of about three years, I played a series of roles that were, for me, all very different, but most of them came out within a six-month period. They all dealt with a kind of dark territory that in some cases had been mined before in movies. — Kevin Spacey

I never doubted at all. If you ever doubt then you are in trouble. I never thought: 'I should do this or that in case I don't make it.' I never had a back-up plan. — Kevin Spacey

Am I now supposed to go on Oprah and cry and tell you my deepest, darkest secrets because you want to know? — Kevin Spacey

I'm attracted to things that are challenging and fun and interesting, and it certainly seems that audiences enjoy them as well. — Kevin Spacey

There does seem to be in the U.S. now an ideology and an entrenchment that has stopped people doing what they are hired to do, which is govern rather than run for office the whole time. — Kevin Spacey

You learn every single day when you're running a company. You learn as you go. — Kevin Spacey

For kids growing up now, there's no difference watching 'Avatar' on an iPad or watching YouTube on TV or watching 'Game of Thrones' on their computer. It's all content. It's just story. — Kevin Spacey

The most important definition of an actor, the job of the actor, is to serve the writer, not yourself. Way too many actors serve themselves. — Kevin Spacey

At the end of the day, people have to respect people's differences. I am different than some people would like me to be. — Kevin Spacey

We're going to see a lot of companies that have been portals of entertainment become producers. — Kevin Spacey

I've been on sets where things weren't relaxed because someone was creating tension for no reason. — Kevin Spacey

I certainly identify with the role of mentor and, to some degree, maybe teacher. I do a lot of work with kids at the Old Vic. — Kevin Spacey

Essentially, your voice is an instrument; it's a muscle, and you have to treat it like a muscle, and so you have to work it. — Kevin Spacey

When the story is good enough, people can watch something three times the length of an opera. — Kevin Spacey

Why not sit around a Beverly Hills pool collecting residual cheques? That is not the kind of life I want. — Kevin Spacey

I want to do better. I want to produce better stories. I want to do better plays. — Kevin Spacey

My life will change, because I want it to change; and also because this is something I'm committed to doing and that I believe my life has been leading towards. — Kevin Spacey

What I've certainly learned is that whenever I've said anything about real politics, I've come under attack. So it's best simply to play politics on television. — Kevin Spacey

I'm always taken aback by things that are successful that I think are just crap, and then I'm completely surprised when things I do end up being successful because you walk into things and you never know ... It's just really remarkable. — Kevin Spacey

With every job, you should have something to lose, something to gain, something to learn. — Kevin Spacey

I don't even think in terms of ambition. — Kevin Spacey

I feel it's a responsibility for anyone who breaks through a certain ceiling ... to send the elevator back down and give others a helpful lift. — Kevin Spacey

The audience, the place you're in, has everything to do with how your performance goes. — Kevin Spacey

Give people what they want, when they want it, in the form they want it in, at a reasonable price, and they'll more likely pay for it rather than steal it. Well, some will still steal it, but I think we can take a bite out of piracy. — Kevin Spacey

Some politicians that I've seen have been brilliant with the public. They almost speak with the skill of an actor. — Kevin Spacey

You've got to trust the ground you're standing on and the work you've done in telling your story. The goal should be to bring those thousands of people - viewers - together and make them one. When you feel that happening, it's usually in silence, not applause or laughter. — Kevin Spacey

It is not about whether you are an executive, a studio or a network. If you have a story or an idea you can build a following for it. — Kevin Spacey

We've learned the lesson that the music industry didn't learn: give people what they want, when they want it, in the form they want it in, at a reasonable price, and they'll more likely pay for it rather than steal it. — Kevin Spacey

A British director directed 'American Beauty,' an important film about American life, and it didn't matter. What only mattered was everyone's sensibility. — Kevin Spacey

I think that there was a period of time - and I would reckon it was about 12 years - where I was just determined to see if I could build a career for myself. — Kevin Spacey

You risk working with this director, you risk making this movie, you risk working with another actor you don't know. It makes your heart beat faster. And it keeps you interested. — Kevin Spacey

I love producing, I love bringing things together. — Kevin Spacey

Partisan rancour and party politics and ideology have got in the way of compromise - and compromise is the only thing that has ever made politics successful. — Kevin Spacey

Clearly the success of the Netflix model, releasing the entire season of 'House of Cards' at once, proved one thing: The audience wants the control. They want the freedom. If they want to binge as they've been doing on 'House of Cards' and lots of other shows, we should let them binge. — Kevin Spacey

Secret Cinema has created a new way of experiencing film. The fusion of film and theatre allows for a much more powerful experience and adds an incredibly unique dimension for the audience. It certainly did for me. I was blown away — Kevin Spacey

Mediocrity is the elephant in the room. — Kevin Spacey

I guess I've been training in the theater for as long as I can remember. — Kevin Spacey

Working in film tends to isolate actors - it's your close-up; it's all about you. — Kevin Spacey

Theatre is alive and it is now, and then it's gone. — Kevin Spacey

People have different reasons for the way they live their lives. You cannot put everyone's reasons in the same box. — Kevin Spacey

When you know you have 1,000 people sitting on the edge of their seats in silence because of a shift that just happened on stage, there is no better feeling. — Kevin Spacey

While the sciences are hugely important, let us not leave behind a child's imagination. — Kevin Spacey

It takes stamina to get up like an athlete every single night, seven to eight performances a week, 20 weeks in a row. And there are many young performers who only learn their craft in the two minute bits it takes to film a scene. You never learn the arc of storytelling, the arc of a character that way. — Kevin Spacey

As the years have gone on, I find one of the dangers of watching dailies ... is you fall in love with moments. — Kevin Spacey

I'm not someone who's led my life trying to get publicity; I'd rather do my work and go home. — Kevin Spacey

The movies are not my first priority - the theater is. — Kevin Spacey

I like being able to go to a local pub and have great food and particularly love pubs that welcome my dogs. — Kevin Spacey

Talent is only interesting if it's challenged. — Kevin Spacey

I've been trying to take this journey over the last four years of getting away from playing manipulative and villainous characters and playing characters that are affected by what happens to them as opposed to unaffected. — Kevin Spacey

No one should ever feel sorry for me. I've been treated very well for the most part. — Kevin Spacey

I can imagine there is going to come a time when someone will do 13 hours of a story without breaks. — Kevin Spacey

I want to bring theatre to a new generation, using the tools available to us, including taking it out to them on film and with new technology, but that is just so they can discover theatre. I want them to come in and sit in a theatre. This is the way to plant seeds. — Kevin Spacey

I have to remember if I'm at some charitable event where kids are ... I try to remember don't swear in front of the kids! — Kevin Spacey

I'll tell you one thing. I've never heard a director saying that the dailies suck. — Kevin Spacey

I have long been a supporter of The Prince's Trust, and so when American Express asked me to launch 'Amex Be Inspired' and help young people build their confidence and fulfil their potential, I was delighted to get involved. — Kevin Spacey

I just want to be better. I just want to be better. But this is very encouraging. — Kevin Spacey

People sometimes say, "Isn't it boring, isn't it always the same? It's the same lines." I go, "Well, do you play tennis? Because that's the best analogy I can give." If you go out eight times and play tennis eight times this week, yeah it's the same rules but it's a different game every time you're out on that court.And that's the best analogy I can come up with the theater. — Kevin Spacey

Sometimes I'll be flipping through the channels and I'll see a movie I'm in. And I'll probably stop and think, 'Sure, I'll watch this.' — Kevin Spacey

I write a lot about my experiences and the people I meet. I've got a lot of material. But a book about me? It seems sort of odd. — Kevin Spacey

Am I arrogant? I've been arrogant, sure; everybody's been arrogant. — Kevin Spacey

I often make the analogy with tennis. Every match the rules are the same, but no game is ever the same. Theatre is like that. Every time is different. — Kevin Spacey

Clarence Darrow was a unique and courageous man. Several of my favourite actors have played Darrow ... Henry Fonda, Orson Welles and Spencer Tracy. — Kevin Spacey

Living in London has become incredible. I suppose it's easy to love where you live if you love what you're doing. But this is not just a visit: it's my home. — Kevin Spacey

I couldn't imagine something asking as much of me as 'House Of Cards.' It's a great warm-up for coming back to the screen. — Kevin Spacey

I think that there is no doubt that every experience you have in your life, whether it's playing a character or something else, you bring that to the work. — Kevin Spacey

People say, 'If you open a movie online at the same time as in movie theatres, no one is going to go to the movies.' That's just not true. People love to go out and have a shared experience; they always will. — Kevin Spacey

Anyone with a internet connection and an idea can develop an audience — Kevin Spacey

To me, getting up every single night and trying to reach out to an audience, and trying to dig deeper and further in the play to serve the writer and to understand yourself in that context is how you continue to grow and learn. — Kevin Spacey

While data can only tell you what has happened in the past, it can in some ways give you a sense of what might be of interest to an audience in the future. — Kevin Spacey

If you're watching a film on your television, is it no longer a film because you're not watching it in a theatre? If you watch a TV show on your iPad, is it no longer a TV show? The device and the length are irrelevant; the labels are useless, except perhaps to agents and managers and lawyers, who use these labels to conduct business deals. — Kevin Spacey

I believe this: If an actor wants a role or wants to work with somebody, then you do everything within reason to try to get that role. If they want you to audition, you audition. If they want you to screen-test, you screen-test. If they want you to come and tap-dance in their hallway, you tap-dance in their hallway. — Kevin Spacey

I think it is just a function of the fact that I moved around so much as a child that I learnt early on to make every place my home. — Kevin Spacey

The less you know about me, the easier it is to convince you that I am that character on screen. — Kevin Spacey

Kids aren't growing up with a sense of television as the aspirational place for their ideas. — Kevin Spacey

No one's personal life is in the public interest. It's gossip, bottom line. End of story. — Kevin Spacey