A biography for Elia Kazanhasn’t been written yet.
“There is only one thing I respect in so-called Broadway actors... and that is their competitive sense.”
“A good director's not sure when he gets on the set what he's going to do.”
“Every picture that is successful has one little miracle in it.”
“I'm going to make a film where not one word is really important. I'm going to make it all action.”
“I want to thank the Academy for its courage and generosity.”
“I wouldn't go up on a stage now if you paid a thousand dollars for one minute of acting. It's a nasty experience. You're up there all by yourself. You're so damn exposed.”
“The thing about Brando was that I'd make these directions, and he'd walk away. He'd heard enough... to get the machine going.”
“You can't just sit there and do the lines. You have to do something revealing or unusual.”
“The more ambivalent you are and the more uncertain you are, then you can get something that you cannot anticipate.”
“The makers of entertainment must try, in our field, to be honest and grown-up.”
“Hey, you must be doin' good, 'cause I never hear from you.”
“To be a member of the Communist Party is to have a taste of the police state. It is a diluted taste but is bitter and unforgettable.”
“You've got to keep fighting - you've got to risk your life every six months to stay alive.”
“Every fighter has one fight that makes or breaks him.”
“I spoke without fear of contradiction. I simply did not suffer self-doubt.”
“I was the true future. I understood Communism better than they did.”
“The world was like a huge red carpet out ahead of me to be walked on. And it stretched on and on, no end.”
“I gave my life to the Group Theatre, because in it I'm building something for myself. What I build, I am.”
“Whatever hysteria exists is inflamed by mystery, suspicion and secrecy. Hard and exact facts will cool it.”
“I hate the Communists and have for many years and don't feel right about giving up my career to defend them. I will give up my film career if it is in the interests of defending something I believe in, but not this.”