Harvey Keitel Talks
I'm sure (my decision to become an actor) was a desire to draw......to draw from the material,
from my own psyche, from my soul, to draw pictures.
I had been studying in New York, and back there we would follow the trade papers - actors didn't have
agents. Marty (Scorsese) had placed an ad, and he was making a student film, and I answered the call.
As soon as we met, it was like walking into a room, and you want to meet......that lady, and not......
that lady. Marty and I walking into a room together was sort of like two ladies. Marty and myself
discovered that we had a great deal in common, there was a lot for us to experience together. They say
if you set forth on the journey, along the way you'll meet people who will help you along.
Before films there were many years of studying in New York, in classrooms with great teachers. I grew up
in Brooklyn and had wonderful friends who were very kind, very nurturing people. I remember the first
show I did at the Cafe La Mama, and Salvador Dali showed up. I had no lines, I was playing a dog, and I
remember Dali walked out on the play. And I was thinking, who the hell does he think he is? He thinks
his hometown in Spain is the center of the world! And of course everybody knows the center of the world
is Brooklyn.
Something Stella Adler said became my credo - if you want more, you have to pay more. I wanted to
be around people who were investing - paying more to get back more. When you know more there's
going to be a price you have to pay to achieve what you want.
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