Sam Mendes
Birthday: 1 August 1965, Reading, Berkshire, England, UK
Birth Name: Samuel Alexander Mendes
Height: 175 cm
Samuel Alexander Mendes was born on August 1, 1965 in Reading, England, UK to parents James Peter Mendes, a retired university lecturer, and Valerie Helene Mendes, an author who writes children's ...Show More
I don't want to be known for one thing. I don't want to have an adjective based around my name. 'Lyn Show more
I don't want to be known for one thing. I don't want to have an adjective based around my name. 'Lynchian', I know what that is, I know what 'Kubrickian' is, and I know what 'Bergmanesque' means. But there isn't going to be, and I don't want there to be, a 'Mendesian'. Hide
You are playing roulette with someone else's money. If you are going to bet it all on black, you nee Show more
You are playing roulette with someone else's money. If you are going to bet it all on black, you need to be able to explain why. Hide
Natasha combined the best of Redgrave and Richardson: the enormous depth and emotional force of a gr Show more
Natasha combined the best of Redgrave and Richardson: the enormous depth and emotional force of a great actor on the one hand, and the intelligence and objectivity of a great director on the other. She was one of a kind, a magnificent actress. She was also an amazing mother, a loyal friend, and the greatest and most generous host you could ever hope to meet. It defies belief that this gifted, brave, tenacious, wonderful woman is gone. (on Natasha Richardson's tragic death.) Hide
When you're choosing for collaborators, do not listen to the people who tell you, "Yes, but I've nev Show more
When you're choosing for collaborators, do not listen to the people who tell you, "Yes, but I've never done a big movie." If they are any good, they will learn - just like I did. Hide
My process is slow and I enjoy it too much to rush. And I like to return to the theater between film Show more
My process is slow and I enjoy it too much to rush. And I like to return to the theater between films. But after not doing any movies for a few years, perhaps I might do two in two years. Hide
[on Away We Go (2009)] All my films are linked by similar concerns, if you look below the surface. T Show more
[on Away We Go (2009)] All my films are linked by similar concerns, if you look below the surface. They're all about one or more people who are lost and trying to find a way through. It's no different with this one, it just happens that they do find a way through. Hide
"I feel very undeserving. I feel the award is a bank loan, which I'll take out and pay back by the e Show more
"I feel very undeserving. I feel the award is a bank loan, which I'll take out and pay back by the end of 20 years, and by then I'll feel more deserving." - On receiving his Lifetime Achievement award from the Directors Guild of Great Britain. Hide
You need to learn to tune out the white noise. You can not please everyone.
You need to learn to tune out the white noise. You can not please everyone.
If you shout in the theater, people think you've gone a bit mad. But if you raise your voice on a fi Show more
If you shout in the theater, people think you've gone a bit mad. But if you raise your voice on a film set, people just work a bit harder. Hide
Regarding the different reactions of Europeans and Americans to his film, Jarhead (2005): "I feel th Show more
Regarding the different reactions of Europeans and Americans to his film, Jarhead (2005): "I feel they've understood in Europe. In America, it's like talking about a different movie. Fundamentally, "Jarhead" disobeys all the laws of American movies, and not just the political laws of American movies right now, which demand on some level to tell us which side they're on. In Europe, there's a sense this film comes from the tradition of absurdist war movies about the futility of conflict. It has more in common with Beckett, Sartre and Banuel than it does with Oliver Stone. In America, they assumed I was trying to make an Oliver Stone movie and that I'd failed". Hide
On the day, be prepared - but also be prepared to make shit up.
On the day, be prepared - but also be prepared to make shit up.
When you get excited, don't be afraid to leap out of your chair and sing the James Bond theme.
When you get excited, don't be afraid to leap out of your chair and sing the James Bond theme.
You're trying to surf the big wave, so be prepared to be wiped out - but when you catch it, it feels Show more
You're trying to surf the big wave, so be prepared to be wiped out - but when you catch it, it feels like nothing else. Hide
Tarantino, Spielberg, Nolan, Scorsese, Greengrass, J.J. and Paul Thomas Anderson all still shoot on Show more
Tarantino, Spielberg, Nolan, Scorsese, Greengrass, J.J. and Paul Thomas Anderson all still shoot on film. There is a reason. Hide
Regarding his commitment to directing Jarhead (2005) without a personal soldiering background: "This Show more
Regarding his commitment to directing Jarhead (2005) without a personal soldiering background: "This is new territory to me, but I hadn't spent two days in American suburbia when I directed American Beauty (1999). I only knew the script had an unusual and original voice and it was a challenge I wanted to take on. Jarhead (2005) is equal parts black humor, honesty, rage, lyricism, profanity and the mixture of machismo jarhead culture. With the exception of Three Kings (1999) this is a war that has been overlooked but which has a burning relevance to what is happening right now in the Middle East." Hide
[on Stanley Kubrick] Of course, his films are all chilling. 2001 blew away the three act structure, Show more
[on Stanley Kubrick] Of course, his films are all chilling. 2001 blew away the three act structure, but his other films are equally unique. We are only now catching up. Hide
Get in touch with your inner 12 year old. He or she was an interesting kid.
Get in touch with your inner 12 year old. He or she was an interesting kid.
Making an action sequence is only interesting when you're in the cutting room. Up until then, it is Show more
Making an action sequence is only interesting when you're in the cutting room. Up until then, it is literally the most tedious thing you will ever do. Hide
Sex. What Fun. to the students of Atlantic Theater School
Sex. What Fun. to the students of Atlantic Theater School
I am fascinated by America, no question about that. I will stop making films about it eventually, th Show more
I am fascinated by America, no question about that. I will stop making films about it eventually, though, because I think there's a limited amount to say. But I am drawn to it. I don't think it's weird for an outsider to go and make movies that are quintessentially American. I think the 20th century shows that there is a tradition of people being drawn to America as the site of the great mythic landscape. You can tell big stories there that you might not be able to tell with such scale and grace elsewhere. Hide
You can only ever point the camera at one thing at a time.
You can only ever point the camera at one thing at a time.
Sam Mendes's FILMOGRAPHY
All
as Actor (11)
as Director (7)
as Creator (1)
