Legendary actor Gene Hackman was known for his witty comments over the years.
In voluminous interviews, Hackman offered pearls of wisdom about life, parenting, acting, and Hollywood.
Here are the 10 best Gene Hackman quotes over the years.
1. About Portraying a ‘Human Being’ on Screen
Getty “If you look at yourself as a star, you’ve already lost something in the portrayal of any human being,” Hackman said, according to Brainy Quote.
2. On Parenting
Getty and Entertainment Now“Things parents say to children are oftentimes not heard, but in some cases you pick up on things that your parent would like to see you have done,” Hackman told GQ.
He was speaking about his mom Anna making an offhand comment about him being in movies that sparked his interest in a film career.
3. On Heroes & Cowards
Getty and Entertainment Now“The difference between a hero and a coward is one step sideways,” Hackman said, according to Brainy Quote.
4. Summing Up His Life in a Phrase
When GQ asked Hackman to sum up his life in a single phrase, he responded, “‘He tried.’ I think that’d be fairly accurate.”
5. On Being a Star vs. an Actor
“Warren Beatty is a star. Robert Redford is a star. Brad Pitt. I never think of myself that way,” Hackman told Larry King in 2004, according to USA Today. “I never had the aspirations to be a star. I wanted to be an actor. A movie actor, a theater actor, that’s all I ever wanted to do.
6. On Playing a Villain
“Villains are always the best roles,” Hackman told The Washington Post in 1996. “It’s the best kind of acting. The things you get to do.”
7. On Actors Needing to Be Handsome
“I wanted to act, but I’d always been convinced that actors had to be handsome. That came from the days when Errol Flynn was my idol,” he said, according to IMDb. “I’d come out of a theater and be startled when I looked in a mirror because I didn’t look like Flynn. I felt like him.”
8. On Dysfunctional Families
“Dysfunctional families have sired a lot of pretty good actors,” he told The New York Times.
9. On the Marines
“I started out as a Marine, then a salesman, then an actor. I guess I’ve always been looking for the right fit,” he said, according to The Standard.
10. On Being Successful as an Actor
“Seventy-five per cent of being successful as an actor is pure luck. The rest is just endurance,” he said, according to A-Z quotes.
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The 10 Best Gene Hackman Quotes Over the Years