Sidney Lumet: Make It Your Time

Sidney Lumet in Deauville/2007/Photograph by Vincent Kessler/Courtesy of Corbis/

Interview with James Grissom
New York City
1991

Anger is the element that has destroyed more film sets, careers, marriages, friendships than anything else. We are all prone to anger, and I think--if we have any sensitivity or awareness--we know how damaging it has been. I don't really care from where the anger springs: You may think you haven't gotten the breaks you deserve; you may think everyone with whom you're working is an idiot; you may think you were born in the wrong time. I've heard them all, seen them all, and all of them destroy talent, morale, and time. It's easy to say that a person should be grateful and do the best work and hope for the best, but I really think--and you really asked--that this is the only sane way forward. I do believe--silly as it sounds--that talent prevails. I also think that good behavior prevails. I also think that there are permanent rewards for behaving well and positively. And I think that--barring time travel--this is the time in which you were born and make it work for you. That has been one of the hallmarks of everyone who has created work that has meant something to us. Make it your time. --Sidney Lumet


© 2014 James Grissom

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