Yorgos Lanthimos

I don't make long-term plans, for sure.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Uncertainty helps keep actors on edge.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

It's hard not to be political.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I wasn't a film buff.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Most acting is very melodramatic. It's not what you see in people.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

The best way to watch a film is to not know anything about the person who made it.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

When I look at my films, all I see is everything that went wrong.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I think I do things that are more common in theatre.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

It's weird to try and identify a nationality for a film.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Of course I know what works for me and what kind of tone I want my films to have.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I think you can tell a lot about people if you observe them as they're observing.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Don't think too hard. Just be present, and things will reveal themselves.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I always expect people to be torn when they see one of my films and divided in some way.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

American culture is kind of a universal culture, I guess. It's things Greeks grew up with, common references you can use. It's…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I never think in metaphors or fully make those kind of associations myself. I just lay down a complex situation and hope…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Anytime people see an emotion that is not extremely emotional, they call it 'deadpan.'

— Yorgos Lanthimos

When people don't understand what they're watching, a lot of what they perceive has to do with who they themselves are.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

There are various ways of delivering some kind of truth, so I try to find the style or the way that I…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

There's much more activity in England than in Greece. Or at least there's a lot more development, which obviously brings another set…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Yeah, it shouldn't be an issue. Stories about women, about men, about homosexuals, about heterosexuals. We shouldn't point at what it is.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I wouldn't know what to say about something that worked in a perfect way, so I guess, in everything, I try to…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Try to place the camera somewhere where you get most of the information from there, so you don't need to have too…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

The first time I was paid was with 'The Lobster,' because with the Greek films, we just had to pay ourselves -…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I always loved films, and when I decided to go to film school, it was with the excuse that I would go…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I did have a lot of years watching and appreciating dance and theater and all of those kind of things, and it…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

No studio picks up the phone after seeing 'Dogtooth' and goes, like, 'We have the next superhero movie.' Though if one did,…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

All the talented and smart actors, they get it: as soon as it comes out of their mouth, they know if it's…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Rebellion is not always the right thing. Following the rules is not always the right thing. You have to think for yourself…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

It's true that there are younger people making films, and there are different kinds of films. This has created some attention in…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I'm planning some films in the U.K., and it will have pros and cons. It takes a lot more time to set…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Even before the economic crisis in Greece there was no structure for making films - no proper industry, and the structure didn't…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I was making commercials. That's how I learned the craft. That was the marketing part of it: directing commercial for TV. It…

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I think human relationships - the whole thing is cruel. It's very difficult.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

As long as I can make the films I want to make in decent conditions, I am happy.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

It's hard for me to consider something in cinema or theater as something realistic.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

Having rules means that sometimes people break them, and that means punishment.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I think children are really violent with each other often.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I'm just trying to progress with every film I make and become better.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

If you use music boldly at the front of a scene, it creates another level.

— Yorgos Lanthimos

I'm interested in many different things. I guess I just want to evolve.

— Yorgos Lanthimos