"It's almost better most times to not talk in a scene. I think you can actually express a lot more without words"
About this Quote
As an actress whose most iconic roles hinge on fear, restraint, and quick calibration (think the Scream films, where survival depends on reading rooms as much as running through them), Campbell knows that dialogue often serves the character's mask. Not talking strips that mask away. A held breath, a half-step back, a look that arrives a second too late: those choices communicate motive and conflict faster than exposition ever could. The intent isn't anti-writing; it's pro-behavior. People rarely narrate themselves accurately in real life, especially under pressure. They deflect, perform, posture. Silence forces the audience to do the human work of interpretation, and that creates intimacy.
There's also a cultural context here: film and TV are increasingly optimized for speed, clarity, and quotable lines. Campbell is arguing for ambiguity - for the potency of what can't be cleanly captioned. In a medium built on faces, stillness is not empty. It's an active decision to let subtext speak at full volume.
Quote Details
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Campbell, Neve. (2026, January 17). It's almost better most times to not talk in a scene. I think you can actually express a lot more without words. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-almost-better-most-times-to-not-talk-in-a-80359/
Chicago Style
Campbell, Neve. "It's almost better most times to not talk in a scene. I think you can actually express a lot more without words." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-almost-better-most-times-to-not-talk-in-a-80359/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It's almost better most times to not talk in a scene. I think you can actually express a lot more without words." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-almost-better-most-times-to-not-talk-in-a-80359/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

