An actor is never so great as when he reminds you of an animal – falling like a cat, lying like a dog, moving like a fox.
Meaning of the quote
The quote suggests that actors are most impressive when they move and behave like different animals. For example, if an actor falls gracefully like a cat, lies calmly like a dog, or scurries around like a clever fox, they will give a more powerful and memorable performance. The director is saying that actors should try to capture the natural movements and behaviors of animals to become truly great at their craft.
More quotes from Francois Truffaut
In love, women are professionals, men are amateurs.
{mb_by_description:plain}
The film of tomorrow will be an act of love.
{mb_by_description:plain}
Taste is a result of a thousand distastes.
{mb_by_description:plain}
Is the cinema more important than life?
{mb_by_description:plain}
The film of tomorrow will not be directed by civil servants of the camera, but by artists for whom shooting a film constitutes a wonderful and thrilling adventure.
{mb_by_description:plain}
Film lovers are sick people.
{mb_by_description:plain}
I’ve always had the impression that real militants are like cleaning women, doing a thankless, daily but necessary job.
{mb_by_description:plain}
Hitchcock loves to be misunderstood, because he has based his whole life around misunderstandings.
{mb_by_description:plain}
The film of tomorrow will resemble the person who made it, and the number of spectators will be proportional to the number of friends the director has.
{mb_by_description:plain}
When humor can be made to alternate with melancholy, one has a success, but when the same things are funny and melancholic at the same time, it’s just wonderful.
{mb_by_description:plain}
An actor is never so great as when he reminds you of an animal – falling like a cat, lying like a dog, moving like a fox.
{mb_by_description:plain}
I have always preferred the reflection of the life to life itself.
{mb_by_description:plain}
The film of tomorrow appears to me as even more personal than an individual and autobiographical novel, like a confession, or a diary.
{mb_by_description:plain}