Alan Arkin Quotes

I don`t believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?

(about Abigail Breslin and her Oscar nomination) I hope she loses, frankly. No, I`m serious. I am not joking. What, next year she is going to get the Nobel Prize? It`s enough. She has had enough attention. I love her and I love her family, and I feel enough is enough. She is a kid, she needs to have a childhood.

I like pushing myself around in as many different styles as I can find.

(on making Wait Until Dark (1967)) It was the only heavy I`d ever played up until then, and I had a miserable time; I was crazy about Audrey Hepburn. I was just in awe of her. She was an extraordinary person in every way, and I just hated terrorizing her. It just wasn`t fun for me.

(on his character Harry Roat Jr. terrorizing Suzy Hendrix (Audrey Hepburn) in Wait Until Dark (1967)) I hated it. I just thought she was terrific. I had an enormous amount of regard for her. I didn`t like being cruel to her. It made me very uncomfortable.

(on why he thinks he won the Oscar in 2007) I haven`t got a clue. I think it`s my age. Everybody thinks I`m going to keel over in a year or two.

Everybody`s career has ups and downs. I like to take chances, I don`t like to stand still. And I don`t give a damn what the market is interested in; I want to try things. Success has nothing to do with box office as far as I`m concerned. Success has to do with achieving your goals, your internal goals, and growing as a person. It would have been nice to have been connected with a couple more box office hits, but in the long run I don`t think it makes you happier.

It`s not enough for me to just be a personality and go up there and say lines nicely. I want to tell a story with a character.

Well, I`ve always been a character actor. I`ve never been a leading man. It gave me an opportunity not to have to take my clothes off all the time.

I like to jump categories -- I don`t like to stay in one place if I can help it.