Max von Sydow

“It's important to me to work in my own language now and then. I love English, but you can never learn to master a foreign language if you're not brought up with it.”

“Producers are not gamblers. They want a good return on their investment.”

“The offers I get are for grandfathers, uncles - and they often die very quickly in the script.”

“Hiroshima has become a metaphor not just for nuclear war but for war and destruction and violence toward civilians. It's not just the idea we should not use nuclear arms. We should not start...”

“Movies give me an opportunity to go places. I'm not only a Swede but an American, not just a man of my time, but I've been living 2,000 years ago-and not just in a new country, America, but...”

“I would like to do 'King Lear.' But I would like to do it in Swedish.”

“During my military service, I performed a sketch in which I played a flea called Max. So when critics kept misspelling my name, I decided to change it and thought, 'Ah! Max!'”

“I think English is a fantastic, rich and musical language, but of course your mother tongue is the most important for an actor.”

“In this country, you have movie actors and theatre actors and television actors.”

“When I was brought up in Sweden, there was a great opportunity for young people to learn how to act in our municipal theaters with their small companies. You would be under contract for eigh...”

“The most difficult part of playing Christ was that I had to keep up the image around the clock. As soon as the picture finished, I returned home to Sweden and tried to find my old self. It t...”

“It was great to watch Orson Welles, not only as an actor but as a director.”

“New York is a fascinating city. I think it's a very inspiring city, but it's overpowering when you get older. It tires me now. But it's wonderful for young people - very inspiring and full o...”

“When I finished the role of Christ, I felt as though I'd been let out on parole. A man who has served 18 months isn't eager to go back to prison.”

“Italians are great improvisers. If something unforeseen happens, they throw up their hands, and they adjust.”