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Both the conception and the style of Shadows were indebted to the neorealists. The young actor went to the Thalia frequently in the fifties and was deeply affected by the work of Visconti, de Sica and Rossellini, which was just making its way to the United States at that point. Cassavetes was also …

In early 1956, Cassavetes and Lane rented a room on an upper floor of the Variety Arts Building at 225 West 46th Street (the site of the old Malin Studios) and invited friends to come and read scenes with them. A few months later they moved into the vacant ground floor which was available for aroun…

When his work doesn’t satisfy him, the actor can grow bitter. He knocks everything – knocks the political life, life in America, other actors, knocks himself – everything. That happens when an actor wants something so greatly and in his own mind doesn’t believe that he will ever achieve it. He has …

It’s that terrible ego. What I mean is: don’t be ashamed of your ego. Because it’s the only thing that’s gonna carry you through. Can you imagine going on a show and saying, ‘Jeez, I have to put all this armor on and I’m not gonna be good doing “Hark!” the best that ever was?’ An actor is a rare an…

When I told Sam I wanted to act in films he went to an agent, Robert Lang, and said he’d found a boy who was a great writer. And he showed a lot of old, unused filmscripts by the top boys as if they were mine. Naturally this agent is impressed and wants to sign me. But my friend explained how I’m a…