"I basically put myself into directors' hands and let them tell me what to do, and the more they told me what to do, the more I liked it"
About this Quote
The intent reads as both practical and provocative. Practical, because acting at the highest level often depends on trust: you give up the need to control the room so you can stay porous, responsive, alive to adjustments. Provocative, because women are rarely allowed to talk about obedience without it being weaponized against them. Christie sidesteps the usual defensive posture. She does not insist she is in charge; she insists she is engaged.
The subtext is about collaboration, but also about relief. Letting a director "tell me what to do" can mean escaping the exhausting demand that actresses be endlessly self-authoring - always brand-managing, always improvising authority in spaces that still tilt male. In that light, "the more they told me" is less about domination than about clarity: give me strong decisions, give me a vision, and I can be fearless inside it.
Context matters: Christie emerged in the 1960s, amid New Wave experimentation and intensely auteur-driven filmmaking. Her comment nods to that era's hierarchy while quietly reclaiming it as a creative preference, not a concession. It is a reminder that agency sometimes looks like choosing your constraints.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Christie, Julie. (2026, January 17). I basically put myself into directors' hands and let them tell me what to do, and the more they told me what to do, the more I liked it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-basically-put-myself-into-directors-hands-and-80954/
Chicago Style
Christie, Julie. "I basically put myself into directors' hands and let them tell me what to do, and the more they told me what to do, the more I liked it." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-basically-put-myself-into-directors-hands-and-80954/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I basically put myself into directors' hands and let them tell me what to do, and the more they told me what to do, the more I liked it." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-basically-put-myself-into-directors-hands-and-80954/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.


