Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollackwas a United States born film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 21 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 films or shows, and produced over 44 films. His 1985 film Out of Africa won him Academy Awards for directing and producing; he was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?and Tootsie, in the latter of which he also appeared...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth1 July 1934
CountryUnited States of America
I'm hands-on in areas where I can make a difference. There's no sense in me standing on set; the director doesn't need me there.
I mean, certainly writing, painting, photography, dance, architecture, there is an aspect of almost every art form that is useful and that merges into film in some way.
The dance that happens, between actor and director, is a very delicate thing...it's why people tend to work together on many films over and over.
The very reasons sometimes that you make a film are the reasons for its failure.
You don't normally do another presentation of All About Eve. You do one All About Eve, and that's it.
No, I never went to college. Always regretted it, always envied people who did.
The essence of acting is seeing the world from another point of view. That's what acting is.
OK, I know this is going to disgust you, Michael, but a lot of people are in this business to make money.
Film is a collective experience, as you know.
Well, I was born and raised in the Midwest, in Indiana specifically, and my childhood was full of weekend movies, you know, the Saturday and Sunday popcorn movies.
But, I've made films in Japan, in Yugoslavia, all over Europe, all over the United States, Mexico, but not Hollywood.
You are not an active creator of the film.
When you spend your life acting and being other people, as opposed to being the one person that you are, you learn that life is gray sometimes, not black and white. That what you thought was true isn't necessarily true if you switch sides.
Well, the wonderful thing about making movies, oddly enough, is that they're sort of highly motivated graduate studies in one or another field.