One of the things you can do as an actor, is compensate for the things you can't do in life.
Dustin HoffmanNow, I'm simply working with people I want to work with. I just want to have good working experiences and let the dice fall where they may.
Dustin HoffmanMany actors want to play Hamlet and Macbeth. Ever since I became an actor, from the very beginning I just wanted to play a Shetland pony. I cannot explain why
Dustin HoffmanUsually, those people don't even like actors and they can't wait until they get in the cutting room. They kind of break down in categories: directors who like to be surprised and some of them abhor being surprised. As far as directing, we all direct when we're acting in movies... every single one of us.
Dustin HoffmanI think one of the things you have to be aware of as an actor is that if you come on the set and see the director standing there mouthing all the words while a scene is going on, that's usually a very bad sign because it means the director has already shot the scene in his head. He knows exactly the rhythm and the nuances that he wants delivered in the line and you're not going to dissuade him.
Dustin Hoffman