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The Great Gatsby
Hamlet

Free Literature Study Guides
The Great Gatsby
Hamlet

Niels Arden Oplev Quotes

I think ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ is a good example of a film where you have to juggle a whole lot of information to follow that story, and even if you haven’t read the book, it seems to go pretty well. And that is a film where the characters didn’t meet until 74 minutes into the film, not on page 17.

– Niels Arden Oplev

‘Deity’ will be a compelling and exciting thriller with complex and interesting characters. A neo-realistic style to story and images will take the audience deep into Calcutta’s many different levels. A fascinating clash between American and Indian culture.

– Niels Arden Oplev

I think if there was no violence in our world, there would be no violence in film. Violence is a part of human nature, and obviously it’s a troublesome part of human nature. You always have responsibilities when you portray violence in what angle you put down on that scene.

– Niels Arden Oplev

We need to keep examining evilness. For instance, I’m totally against the fact that Osama bin Laden was shot. I think that he should have been put on trial and exposed as that human being he was. I think he should’ve been standing mentally naked in front of the rest of us and stand to justice for what he did.

– Niels Arden Oplev

It is cool to make a pilot because you get to do all the fun stuff, and then you get to leave when all the tough stuff starts.

– Niels Arden Oplev

The thing with ‘The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo’ is that is it’s like an Agatha Christie plot, and an investigating journalist is also a classic character.

– Niels Arden Oplev

I think filmmaking is a strange animal because it’s anti-Democratic and collective at the same time, but I think it’s all about not trying to know everything better than everybody else but making the right choices.

– Niels Arden Oplev

On Staten Island, there’s a ship graveyard. I’m using that a lot, even for ‘Under the Dome.’ When I’m dissatisfied with a location scout, I go on Google Earth. It’s an amazing tool.

– Niels Arden Oplev

Nobody’s born evil. I guess that’s why we’re drawn to violence. We’re fascinated by it, but there’s a moral in how you examine it.

– Niels Arden Oplev

I’m interested in the human more than I’m interested in building suspense.

– Niels Arden Oplev

When you cast, you can’t cast only visually; you have to cast emotionally, too.

– Niels Arden Oplev

When we read a book, we have a blurry image that’s kind of physical but blurry. But we have an emotional image also. We have an emotional connection to the character.

– Niels Arden Oplev

Because revenge is a very known feeling in American culture, there’s a certain element of an eye for an eye. There’s the saying, ‘Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.’ When you wish for revenge, and you think you’ve gotten it, what happens then? Revenge is just a really good drive for drama and good action.

– Niels Arden Oplev