Philip Seymour Hoffman

Study, find all the good teachers and study with them, get involved in acting to act, not to be famous or for…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

There are a lot of things going on with my life right now that don't just have to do with career. So…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

You know the circus performer who spins the plates in the air you know, and he'll spin six or seven plates in…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

You have to have a personal connection. You have to really want to do it, because if you don't, investing yourself personally,…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I didn't go out looking for negative characters; I went out looking for people who have a struggle and a fight to…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

There are characters in movies who I call 'film characters.' They don't exist in real life. They exist to play out a…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

Being with a kid always takes you to being a kid somehow, and they really are showing me a childhood I might…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I work constantly but I work at a lot of different things. You know, I run a theater company in New York,…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

When you're acting, you're subjective; when you're a director, you're more objective.You're kind of watching from the outside and helping others, and…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I think I would have drank myself to death, literally, if I didn't just stop, once and for all when I did.…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I try to live my life in such a way that I don't have any regrets. That's probably why I work so…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

Directing is a really kind of amazing thing, because you're helping others and, in the middle of that, you have to worry…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I think you ultimately have to love who you're playing. You have to have that kind of feeling. You have to have…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

My mother's a staunch feminist, so I grew up with very strong feminist messages. As a result, I battled her in my…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

If you get a chance to act in a room that somebody else has paid rent for, then you're given a free…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I have so much empathy for these young actors that are 19 and all of a sudden they're beautiful and famous and…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

If all people are encouraged to actually see who they're coexisting with, or even if they're not coexisting with other people.It's like…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

When people don't know who you are, they're seeing your work for the first time. But if they've seen a lot, getting…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I have a fine level of recognition in the business and among the acting community now, so I consider myself one of…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

Actors are responsible to the people we play. I don't label or judge. I just play them as honestly and expressively and…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

When you're playing someone who really lived, you carry a burden, a burden to be accurate. But it's one that you have…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I like to come to the set with very strong ideas and strong opinions about how to do things. And I like…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

There's things that you don't want to do and they keep haunting you and following you. Bennett Miller directed this project [Capote],…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I know some really great actors who are pretty judgmental people, pretty critical people. But they're great actors. When they're acting, that's…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

My love for the theater has always been a priority. That hasn't changed. I got into acting that way. The film work…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

Ultimately, all characters have some negative and positive energies. That's just how I see it. I didn't go out looking for negative…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

Film's hard when you don't have any relationship with the director at all and you just show up. Then you really are…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

Sometimes I take a temperature of things just because everyone else does. Especially when I'm doing a play. I want to know…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

Being unemployed is not good for an actor. No, it isn't, no matter how unsuccessful you are. Because you always remember getting…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

If I was a little bit younger I would worry more. I'd want to do one thing at a time but now…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I think directors should be confident in their leadership capabilities. I think directors should be confident in what they want to do.

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

I've seen a lot of friends who have a lot of great projects, whether it's a script or a play or whatever,…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman

People used to be funny about approaching me, but now they seem to think I'm as sane as anyone who's done what…

— Philip Seymour Hoffman