A biography for James Deanhasn’t been written yet.
“An actor should be judged by his performance only.”
“The cinema is a very truthful medium because the camera doesn't let you get away with anything. On stage, you can even loaf a little, if you're so inclined.”
“Death can't be considered because, if you're afraid to die, there's no room in your life to make discoveries.”
“The only way to make a scene realistic is to do it the way you know it would really happen.”
“If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he's dead, then maybe he was a great man.”
“To me, acting is the most logical way for people's neuroses to manifest themselves, in this great need we all have to express ourselves.”
“Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world. You are all alone with your concentration and imagination, and that's all you have.”
“כששחקן משחק סצנה בדיוק כפי שהבמאי הנחה, זה לא משחק. זה למלא אחר הוראות. כל אחד עם הכישורים הפיזיים יכול לעשות זאת.”
“להיות שחקן זה הדבר הכי בודד בעולם. אתה לגמרי לבד עם הריכוז והדמיון שלך, וזה כל מה שיש לך.”
“שחקן חייב לפרש את החיים, וכדי לעשות זאת הוא חייב להיות מוכן לקבל את כל החוויות שיש לחיים להציע.”
“להיות שחקן טוב זה לא קל. להיות גבר זה אפילו יותר קשה.”
“You can do 'Hamlet' while performing cartwheels... as long as the audience sees your eyes - you can make the performance real.”
“To my way of thinking, an actor's course is set even before he's out of the cradle.”
“I'm a serious-minded and intense little devil, terribly gauche and so tense I don't see how people stay in the same room with me. I know I wouldn't tolerate myself.”
“Trust and belief are two prime considerations. You must not allow yourself to be opinionated.”
“But you can't show some far off idyllic conception of behavior if you want the kids to come and see the picture. You've got to show what it's really like, and try to reach them on their own grounds.”
“Racing is the only time I feel whole.”
“I think the one thing this picture shows that's new is the psychological disproportion of the kids' demands on the parents. Parents are often at fault, but the kids have some work to do, too.”
“The gratification comes in the doing, not in the results.”
“I also became close to nature, and am now able to appreciate the beauty with which this world is endowed.”