--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can start with a great director and…" description: "\"You can start with a great director and great actors and have a great script - and it still just doesn't work. It's kind of a mystery how that happens...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_you-can-start-with-a-great-director-and_1989955.jpg" --- # You can start with a great director and great actors and… ![“You can start with a great director and great actors and have a great script - and it still just doesn't work. It's kind of a mystery how that happens.” quote by Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_you-can-start-with-a-great-director-and_1989955.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_you-can-start-with-a-great-director-and_1989955.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_you-can-start-with-a-great-director-and_1989955.jpg) > “You can start with a great director and great actors and have a great script - and it still just doesn't work. It's kind of a mystery how that happens.” [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even with top talent and script, a film can fail due to intangible factors, highlighting the mystery of creative success. **In simple terms:** Great talent and script don’t guarantee success. Key Takeaway Accept that some creative outcomes are unpredictable. Themes film production collaboration uncertainty creative process industry dynamics Mood analytical realistic curious Type industry creative When to use this quote - movie releases - theater productions - TV pilots - advertising campaigns Key Concepts budget constraints marketing audience taste timing Questions to Reflect On - What non‑creative elements most affect a project's outcome? - How can teams mitigate unpredictable failures? A Different Perspective Success can be hindered by poor chemistry or market mismatch. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Great actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-actors/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [When you work with a great director, you can have a great partnership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/when-you-work-with-a-great-director-you-can-have-a-great-partnership/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [I don't see how it's a risky thing to take a great part with a great director and a great script. That, to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-quaid/i-don-t-see-how-it-s-a-risky-thing-to-take-a-great-part-with-a-great/) [Dennis Quaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-quaid/) > [I want to have a great director, and also a great producer and co-stars. And there should be a tight script. After all, regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kajol/i-want-to-have-a-great-director-and-also-a-great-producer-and-co/) [Kajol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kajol/) > [Not only is Tigmanshu a great director, but he's also a great actor. I just had to ape him in 'Bullett Raja.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chunky-pandey/not-only-is-tigmanshu-a-great-director-but-he-s-also-a-great-actor-i/) [Chunky Pandey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chunky-pandey/) > [It didn't matter that Charlie Chaplin may not have been a great director or a great anything else. He made great movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-landau/it-didn-t-matter-that-charlie-chaplin-may-not-have-been-a-great/) [Jon Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-landau/) > [If you want to be a great director, be a great screenwriter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-kurosawa/if-you-want-to-be-a-great-director-be-a-great-screenwriter/) [Akira Kurosawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-kurosawa/) > [Sometimes a great director will do a bad job and an okay director will do a great job. You never know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-meyer/sometimes-a-great-director-will-do-a-bad-job-and-an-okay-director/) [Ronald Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-meyer/) > [To be a great director, what does it mean exactly? It's not only about a great director, but also about being able to rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-huppert/to-be-a-great-director-what-does-it-mean-exactly-it-s-not-only-about/) [Isabelle Huppert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-huppert/) > [I look at the stories that Spike Lee tells... Great stories. Great director, great storyteller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/i-look-at-the-stories-that-spike-lee-tells-great-stories-great/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [The thing that separates a so-so director and a great director is a love and caring for film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-director-and-a-great-director-is-a/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [If you have a script that's not great, if you have a great director, you can make a great movie, but if you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-bellucci/if-you-have-a-script-that-s-not-great-if-you-have-a-great-director/) [Monica Bellucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-bellucci/) > [You can have a great script, or a great director and a bad script, and get a great movie. Nothing really guarantees anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-booth/you-can-have-a-great-script-or-a-great-director-and-a-bad-script-and/) [Douglas Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-booth/) > [I always say that, if you have great actors and great storytelling and great monsters, and you mix them together, nine times out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-nicotero/i-always-say-that-if-you-have-great-actors-and-great-storytelling-and/) [Gregory Nicotero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-nicotero/) > [I get to play a great character while working with great actors and great directors on a great show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-hamlin/i-get-to-play-a-great-character-while-working-with-great-actors-and/) [Harry Hamlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-hamlin/) > [There are some actors that are great stars and storytellers, but not necessarily good actors. I'm talking about some - not all - of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-ridley/there-are-some-actors-that-are-great-stars-and-storytellers-but-not/) [Philip Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-ridley/) ## More by Casey Affleck > [Talking to other people about a part is not helpful for me. It's such an internal and complicated and still kind of mysterious process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/talking-to-other-people-about-a-part-is-not-helpful-for-me-it-s-such/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Most calves used by the dairy industry have their horns BURNED or GOUGED out of their heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/most-calves-used-by-the-dairy-industry-have-their-horns-burned-or/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [When people ask me why I don't eat meat or any other animal products, I say, 'Because they are unhealthy and they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/when-people-ask-me-why-i-don-t-eat-meat-or-any-other-animal-products/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Sometimes being an actor is kind of demanding in very different ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/sometimes-being-an-actor-is-kind-of-demanding-in-very-different-ways/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [After I left LA... it was like waking up. And so I moved back east and stopped auditioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/after-i-left-la-it-was-like-waking-up-and-so-i-moved-back-east-and/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [My aim was not to fool. My aim was to provoke thought and stir emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/my-aim-was-not-to-fool-my-aim-was-to-provoke-thought-and-stir-emotion/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [I don't really care that much about being a matinee idol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/i-don-t-really-care-that-much-about-being-a-matinee-idol/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [I get very sentimental, I get very nostalgic, and when I live in a place, I instantly put down way too many roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/i-get-very-sentimental-i-get-very-nostalgic-and-when-i-live-in-a/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Truth is, there's never really been anything so horrible said about me that I haven't either thought of or said to myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/truth-is-there-s-never-really-been-anything-so-horrible-said-about-me/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Some people go to their job. That's the job they have; they have to do it. They hate their boss and their coworkers, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/some-people-go-to-their-job-that-s-the-job-they-have-they-have-to-do/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Chickens, cows, and pigs in factory farms spend their whole lives in filthy, cramped conditions, only to die a prolonged and painful death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/chickens-cows-and-pigs-in-factory-farms-spend-their-whole-lives-in/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [All cultures are different. Some commit genocide. Some are uniquely peaceful. Some frequent bathhouses in groups. Some don't show each other the soles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/all-cultures-are-different-some-commit-genocide-some-are-uniquely/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [If you show up in L.A. with your shirt inside out or socks mismatched, people start putting change in your cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/if-you-show-up-in-l-a-with-your-shirt-inside-out-or-socks-mismatched/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [I knew it would be hard work, but that's the reason you're an actor. If you're a bricklayer, you don't want to just show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/i-knew-it-would-be-hard-work-but-that-s-the-reason-you-re-an-actor-if/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [I feel like whenever I do a movie, people think, 'Well, that's good, but that's probably the best he'll do.' I sort of bang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/i-feel-like-whenever-i-do-a-movie-people-think-well-that-s-good-but/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) [Explore all 121 Casey Affleck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can start with a great director and great actors and have a great script - and it still just doesn't work. 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