"Every actor I ever meet goes, 'Ultimately I plan on having my own company and write and direct,' but yes, I too would love to write and direct a movie. I want to do a play, too. I want to do it all"
About this Quote
The subtext is about status and control. In Hollywood, “write and direct” isn’t just a creative aspiration; it’s a bid to stop being interpreted and start being listened to. Actors are hired bodies in other people’s visions; writer-directors are authors. Schwartzman’s phrasing, though, keeps it human. He doesn’t frame it as mastery or legacy; he frames it as appetite: “I want to do it all.” That reads less like empire-building and more like restless curiosity - the kind you’d expect from someone who’s worked with auteur directors and absorbed that sensibility.
Context matters: Schwartzman comes from a film-and-music lineage and built a career in indie-leaning, director-driven projects. He’s seen firsthand how identity gets shaped by collaborators, and this is him reaching for a fuller authorship without pretending the impulse is rare. The line works because it’s self-aware ambition: sincere, slightly embarrassed, still hungry.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Schwartzman, Jason. (2026, January 17). Every actor I ever meet goes, 'Ultimately I plan on having my own company and write and direct,' but yes, I too would love to write and direct a movie. I want to do a play, too. I want to do it all. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/every-actor-i-ever-meet-goes-ultimately-i-plan-on-80179/
Chicago Style
Schwartzman, Jason. "Every actor I ever meet goes, 'Ultimately I plan on having my own company and write and direct,' but yes, I too would love to write and direct a movie. I want to do a play, too. I want to do it all." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/every-actor-i-ever-meet-goes-ultimately-i-plan-on-80179/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Every actor I ever meet goes, 'Ultimately I plan on having my own company and write and direct,' but yes, I too would love to write and direct a movie. I want to do a play, too. I want to do it all." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/every-actor-i-ever-meet-goes-ultimately-i-plan-on-80179/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.






