I am not a famous person at home – I’m just a guy here. I’m a father, I’m a companion, I’m a human being. I am not a public figure in my house; I am not a celebrity. I am not a famous person to myself – I am just a guy. – William Hurt
The simple fact of existence, of being aware that you are aware; this to me is the most astounding fact. – William Hurt
Play is play, fun is fun, and work is work. They’re different. I work hard; even if it’s supposed to be fun for someone else, it’s work for me. – William Hurt
I was very lucky when I was a kid – I travelled a lot and spent a lot of time in Africa, Asia and Europe. I also chant in Sanskrit. – William Hurt
It was the moment I learned acting is not acting out. After that light went on, I spent the rest of my life trying to figure out how to make other people realize it. – William Hurt
But I am not going to live for ever. And the more I know it, the more amazed I am by being here at all. – William Hurt
Not to be offensive, not to be capricious, not to be arbitrary, not to be neurotic, not to be an actor outer, you’re just trying to get in and you’re given so little time to get in gently, but it’s always hard. – William Hurt
Every single second of extra time to work with other actors has definitely always, for me, paid off for the film. For the project. Every single extra heartbeat you could get, mutually considering the scene, was of benefit. – William Hurt
I’m not there to tailor the role to me: I’m there to tailor me to the role. That guarantees me something, a precious thing, which is creativity. I’m guaranteed that I will have a creative experience, because I will go to it, not demand that it comes to me. – William Hurt
My first cousin, by the way, on my father’s mother side was John Marshall Harlan, who was a Supreme Court justice, as was his grandson. And I think a lot of my fight and my work to struggle for fairness and the techniques of theater and in subject matter probably stems in some way from some sense I have of his issues in life. – William Hurt
You get older, and people start passing away. And so if you’re lucky – my mom died very young, for instance, and I have friends who died very young – but the point being that, I think if you’re awake, you know you’re going to pass on. And that the real treasure in life is the long term – relationships that you really value. – William Hurt
