John Hurt
John Hurt
Sir John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor whose career has spanned six decades. He initially came to prominence for his supporting role as Richard Rich in the film A Man for All Seasons. Since then he has played leading roles as Quentin Crisp in the film The Naked Civil Servant, John Merrick in David Lynch's biopic The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in the dystopian drama Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in the Stephen Frears drama The Hit, and Stephen...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionActor
Date of Birth22 January 1940
accept attended based believing catholic god harm morality people politics security side stupid wars
What's the difference, actually, between believing in a God on one side or the other, Catholic or Protestant? It's all the same if you accept it. Much of our morality is based on things completely outmoded. But people are wonderful. There's no harm in them, they're not the problem. It's governments and politics that make wars and do stupid things, and they should be attended to. There's no security in this life.
coming falling spray surface
The spray from the other vehicles, but you've also got precipitation so you've got it coming up at you from the roadway surface as well as probably falling and it can be a very disorienting sensation.
best less seem watch
I seem to watch less and less television. The best thing in 'Downton Abbey' is Penelope Wilton. She is always worth the watch.
along god guided life plans sitting waves whipped
I've never guided my life. I've just been whipped along by the waves I'm sitting in. I don't make plans at all. Plans are what make God laugh. You can make plans, you can make so many plans, but they never go right, do they?
absolutely fact punk recognised saying
Punk recognised the fact that the establishment had no room. There's no point in saying you've got the establishment wrong because they hadn't got the establishment wrong, they'd got it absolutely dead on.
Really, I'm only alive out of curiosity. I'm very curious about where we're all marching.
amount conditions deal found great helped learned observing painter surprising
Being a painter is a lonely, desolate life, but I learned by observing people, observing conditions around me, the way things worked. And I've found that painting-which I still do-has helped me a great deal as an actor. There's a surprising amount in common.
changing directors enjoyed hanging science toys
The things that I've enjoyed most are not really science fiction. They are not much fun to make because there are so many toys involved. They are fun for directors who like toys, like Ridley Scott, but they are not a lot of fun to make. A lot of hanging around, changing this and that.
ambitious deal great happens hugely minute people success watched word
I've never been pushy. People have said I should have been, more, but I'm not sure. I've watched hugely ambitious people: the minute they've got a success, they know where it's going, they know how to deal with it, and it all happens for them. Great. But that's not the way I - well, I don't like to use the word 'operate'.
competition few qualified terrible won
I've always felt, and I think I'm qualified to say so because I've won a few awards, that it's a terrible shame to put something in competition with something else to be able to sell something.
across audience coming deal finding forget great performance seems seen sides truth
Don't forget there are two sides to performing. Finding the truth, but you also have to be transparent enough for the audience to see it. How many times have you seen a performance and thought: 'Well, it seems to be meaning a great deal to you but it ain't coming across to me?' It is to be shared.
directors great obvious prefer relief whom work
Very, very broadly speaking, you can put directors into two areas: One for whom you work, and the other with whom you work. And I prefer the latter, for obvious reasons. It's a great relief to feel that you're working with someone rather than for someone.
To me, nothing ever feels like a sure thing. I cling to that because it's very important you don't ever think anything is a sure thing.
local people realize sad
I think it would be really sad if the local people didn't realize how important he was.