50 Steven Knight Quotes for You to Enjoy

Steven Knight

English Director

Born: 1959

About Good People Think Writing You

There's a convention in English stuff that if something is more than 100 years old, people have to say 'do not' instead of 'don't. They have to say 'will not' instead of 'won't.' People are speaking in a way that is not accessible or normal. And people didn't ever speak like that. Steven Knight

The problem with prequels is you're limiting yourself as to where it can go. Steven Knight

You Yourself Problem Limiting Go Where The Problem With

Any attempt to recreate a world of 1814, or 100 years before that - I think it's important to understand that the people of the time had a different concept of what reality was. Their reality was much more haunted. Steven Knight

Any question about narrative storytelling is answered by Dickens. Steven Knight

About Narrative Answered Question Dickens Any Storytelling

A funny thing about film is that it's the only medium where people say there are really rules that you have to stick to. Nobody says to the writer - in a film you've got to have three acts - there's a character arc you have to do - there's no reason that's true. Steven Knight

Funny Character You People Three Medium Funny Thing Say Rules Says Arc People Say About Only No Reason Writer True Nobody Stick Got Where Really Reason Film Acts Thing

From the age of about 8 to the age of about 15, I was obsessed with Native Americans. Steven Knight

Age About Obsessed American Native Native Americans

When you think 'Peaky Blinders,' when it first began it got mixed reviews and people didn't know what to do with it, and it was like: 'Why is there modern music on this?' So I think whenever you do something different you're going to get that response. Steven Knight

In terms of the symbolism, I think that if you do it right, writing is a bit like dreaming. Steven Knight

You Writing Think I Think Bit Dreaming Like Terms Right Symbolism

I want to make people see that evil is seductive and that we need to be careful. Steven Knight

People Evil Be Careful Seductive See Make Want Need Careful

I've had more reaction to 'Peaky' than anything. People react really intensely. Steven Knight

People More Had React Reaction Than Intensely Anything Really

You can make somebody bad for a long time, and people love it when they then do one good thing and it's almost like a triumph. Actors seem to enjoy it more. Steven Knight

Any genre as it's called, I think can be quite reductive in terms of what a film is, because I think there is an eagerness to put in any film, in anybody's work, to give it a genre title and I think as a consequence of that, the film starts to obey the rules of the genre. Steven Knight

Work Obey Think Starts I Think Rules Give Put Terms Genre Because Any Quite Anybody Title Film Eagerness Consequence

True stories are always good because they're so odd, and so unlikely. It's always good to have a world that people don't know about - a world that hasn't yet been done. It's like treading on fresh snow. You're the first one there. It always feels good to be dealing with a period of history or a world that no one else has dealt with. Steven Knight

Good History You People World First Else Unlikely About No-One True Feels Like Know Period First One Because Dealing Fresh Always Dealt Odd Been Snow Done Stories Treading

I will never unravel the mystery of how a script gets into the hands of certain people. Steven Knight

People Will Unravel Mystery Never How Hands Gets Script Certain

I just don't like cinemas very much. And when I do see a film it depresses me. Steven Knight

Me Cinemas See Like Very Just Much Film

In history there's what's written down and there's what actually happened. Steven Knight

History Down Written Written Down Happened Actually

I think certain periods of history don't get dealt with because I think historians, and it's their job, but they look back and look for patterns. They look for sequences and they look for reasons, and certain periods of history don't fit with the general pattern of 1500 to the 20th century, during which there's the creation of the United States. Steven Knight

History Job Creation Think Back I Think States General Look Periods 20th Century Because Dealt Fit Historians Get Which Pattern Patterns Century Certain Reasons United United States

I think the best actors do both. I think they fulfill what you want them to do, in terms of the vision for the whole piece. And then they always bring something that does surprise you and shock you. Steven Knight

I find in Britain people are both more arty and more willing to rip you off. Steven Knight

You People Willing Find Rip More Both Off Arty Britain

I've been banging on about doing stuff in Birmingham for years and years, and everyone says 'We can't, it's the accent thing.' For some reason it's a very difficult accent to get right, harder even than Geordie. Steven Knight

Closed Circuit' came out of a general anxiety about surveillance. Government surveillance and private surveillance. Steven Knight

Government Anxiety Closed Circuit Out About General Came Private Surveillance

The things that are considered to be respectable have their roots in unrespectable things. Steven Knight

Considered Respectable Roots Things

You meet people and you hear the way they talk and the way they behave, and that subconsciously gets fed into the characters you create 'cause you have to make them flesh and blood somehow. Steven Knight

You People Cause Meet Way Characters Somehow Fed Talk Make Subconsciously Hear Blood Behave Gets Them Create Flesh