--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's true that I don't think I'd be a…" description: "\"It's true that I don't think I'd be a good director. If I were a director, I'd try to hire the best people I could and then leave them alone. I don't k..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/christopher-walken-1773_actors_it-s-true-that-i-don-t-think-i-d-be-a-go_2610598.jpg" --- # It's true that I don't think I'd be a good director. If I… ![“It's true that I don't think I'd be a good director. If I were a director, I'd try to hire the best people I could and then leave them alone. I don't know much about cameras or lighting, so I'd make sure that I had a really good cameraman who understood lenses and lighting, and I say to him, "This…” quote by Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/christopher-walken-1773_actors_it-s-true-that-i-don-t-think-i-d-be-a-go_2610598.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/christopher-walken-1773_actors_it-s-true-that-i-don-t-think-i-d-be-a-go_2610598.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/christopher-walken-1773_actors_it-s-true-that-i-don-t-think-i-d-be-a-go_2610598.jpg) > “It's true that I don't think I'd be a good director. If I were a director, I'd try to hire the best people I could and then leave them alone. I don't know much about cameras or lighting, so I'd make sure that I had a really good cameraman who understood lenses and lighting, and I say to him, "This is the scene we have to shoot and this is what I think it should be, you go do it." Same with actors. But really, very good directors who know everything do basically the same thing. They hire you and then they leave you alone.” [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker suggests that effective leadership can involve delegating to experts and stepping back, emphasizing trust over micromanagement. **In simple terms:** Good leaders hire experts and let them work independently. Key Takeaway Delegate to skilled people and trust their expertise. Themes leadership trust delegation Mood inspirational practical Type advice leadership When to use this quote - team projects - film production - startup teams Key Concepts Management theory expertise reliance Questions to Reflect On - When should a leader intervene directly? - How do you balance trust and accountability? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on delegation may neglect necessary oversight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Be you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-you/) [Cameraman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameraman/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Directors Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors-know-323688/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Good Cameraman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-cameraman-374963/) [Good director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-director/) [Good directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-directors/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Leave Them Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leave-them-alone/) [Lenses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lenses/) [Lighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lighting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Think Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-actors/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood/) [Very good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-good/) ## Related quotes > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) [Mitra Farahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitra-farahani/) > [A lot of the good cameraman who we used are doing television work; they're doing commercials for a lot of money. And the commercials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/a-lot-of-the-good-cameraman-who-we-used-are-doing-television-work/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [I don't think I'd be a good director because people would ask me, you know, "What is it? What's going on here? Where should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-don-t-think-i-d-be-a-good-director-because-people-would-ask-me-you/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I guess once you've been acting for a long time, you glean the great bits of good directors and the bad bits from other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/i-guess-once-you-ve-been-acting-for-a-long-time-you-glean-the-great/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [Directors know nothing. I never had the privilege of working with any good director. Except Satyen Bose and Bimal Roy, no one even knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kishore-kumar/directors-know-nothing-i-never-had-the-privilege-of-working-with-any/) [Kishore Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kishore-kumar/) > [Having a good director is very important. It's crucial. When you do good work with a certain director, you want to work with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/having-a-good-director-is-very-important-it-s-crucial-when-you-do/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [ It's always the script first choosing roles. \[Then\] whoever else is attached. I never like to be the first person attached, because I don't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mintz-plasse/it-s-always-the-script-first-choosing-roles-then-whoever-else-is/) [Christopher Mintz-Plasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mintz-plasse/) > [I depend on good editors and a good director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-varma/i-depend-on-good-editors-and-a-good-director/) [Indira Varma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-varma/) > [There are some directors I should have worked with. I'd like to have worked with Robert Altman - I turned him down a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/there-are-some-directors-i-should-have-worked-with-i-d-like-to-have/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [There are directors that I want to work with and that I admire. You can love a script, but if it doesn't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/there-are-directors-that-i-want-to-work-with-and-that-i-admire-you/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [It's incredibly easy as a director to be egotistical. Of course, it is because you have 200 people on set every day listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/it-s-incredibly-easy-as-a-director-to-be-egotistical-of-course-it-is/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [Also a good director and good dialogue. That's very important because you're bringing the words to life. So it's very important for an actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-garner/also-a-good-director-and-good-dialogue-that-s-very-important-because/) [Julia Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-garner/) > [There's a paraphrase about Orson Welles saying: "Great films are made by great directors and the rest are made by everyone else." I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/there-s-a-paraphrase-about-orson-welles-saying-great-films-are-made/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) > [I think the mark of a good director is that they surround themselves with good people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-gadon/i-think-the-mark-of-a-good-director-is-that-they-surround-themselves/) [Sarah Gadon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-gadon/) > [Really good director sometimes will kind of see what the actors are doing and then get in there. Because there's the realization that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-livingston/really-good-director-sometimes-will-kind-of-see-what-the-actors-are/) [Ron Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-livingston/) ## More by Christopher Walken > [One thing that's happened to me is I've been around a long time and I've played a lot of villains and so forth. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/one-thing-that-s-happened-to-me-is-i-ve-been-around-a-long-time-and-i/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [In my personal life I'm very conservative. I've been married to the same person for nearly 50 years, I'm scrupulous about paying bills, avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/in-my-personal-life-i-m-very-conservative-i-ve-been-married-to-the/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I grew up in the '50s, in New York City, where television was born. There were 90 live shows every week, and they used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-grew-up-in-the-50s-in-new-york-city-where-television-was-born-there/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I think that a good movie creates its own world, and that world needn't refer to anything that's real. If it's consistent, if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-think-that-a-good-movie-creates-its-own-world-and-that-world-needn/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [An audience is the most dangerous thing in the world, because they paid, and they're looking at you. And they paid! And there's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/an-audience-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-in-the-world-because-they/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I make movies that nobody will see. I've made movies that even I have never seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-make-movies-that-nobody-will-see-i-ve-made-movies-that-even-i-have/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [For me, in movies, it's always a mixed bag. I've never made a movie where I thought, "You were really good in that movie;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/for-me-in-movies-it-s-always-a-mixed-bag-i-ve-never-made-a-movie/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I think the fact that I was raised in show business, in New York City, in the '50s, that's affected my personality to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-think-the-fact-that-i-was-raised-in-show-business-in-new-york-city/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [Obviously an actor draws on his own experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/obviously-an-actor-draws-on-his-own-experience/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [In rehearsal you have a good accident that you can repeat.In the movies if you have a good accident you hope the camera's running.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/in-rehearsal-you-have-a-good-accident-that-you-can-repeat-in-the/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I was never a child actor. I was a child performer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-was-never-a-child-actor-i-was-a-child-performer/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I have been in movies that I thought I wasn't very good in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-have-been-in-movies-that-i-thought-i-wasn-t-very-good-in/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I think I'm getting a little bit of Alzheimer's. Just a little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-think-i-m-getting-a-little-bit-of-alzheimer-s-just-a-little/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [It's very bizarre though when you get hired and then the director will say, "I know how this goes." And you're thinking, "Wait a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/it-s-very-bizarre-though-when-you-get-hired-and-then-the-director/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [It's interesting - a lot of good actors are good mimes. But I'm terrible. If I tried to do an impression, nobody would know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/it-s-interesting-a-lot-of-good-actors-are-good-mimes-but-i-m-terrible/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) [Explore all 209 Christopher Walken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) ## More Actors quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [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/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/) [Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/) > [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/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [A rapper is about being completely true to yourself. Being an actor is about changing who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/a-rapper-is-about-being-completely-true-to-yourself-being-an-actor-is/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [I've been a professional actor for almost 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-ve-been-a-professional-actor-for-almost-40-years/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [American actors are coy. We all have pricks and cunts, or are you different from the rest of us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/american-actors-are-coy-we-all-have-pricks-and-cunts-or-are-you/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) [Browse all 11,394 Actors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's true that I don't think I'd be a good director. 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