Happy Birthday: John Cassavetes (1929–1989)

John Cassavetes (1929–1989)

Born: December 9, 1929 in New York City, New York, USA
Died: February 3, 1989 (age 59) in Los Angeles, California, USA

Married to: Gena Rowlands (9 April 1954 – 3 February 1989) (his death) (3 children)

There’s a difference between ad-libbing and improvising. And there’s a difference between not knowing what to do and just saying something. Or making choices as an actor. As a writer also, as a person who’s making a film, as a cameraman, everything is a choice. And it seems to me I don’t really have to direct anyone or write down that somebody’s getting drunk; all I have to do is say that there’s a bottle there and put a bottle there and then they’re going to get drunk. I don’t want to tell them how they’re going to get drunk. I don’t want to tell them how they’re going to get drunk, or what they would do, and I don’t want to restrict them in being able to carry out a beat, to fulfill an action. You can’t say somebody’s drunk, or in love.

I’m a professional actor out of defense. I’d prefer to be an amateur actor. But I’ve got to have money to make films. Unfortunately, it’s an extremely expensive hobby.

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