James Gray tells Locarno that actors “dictate the style” of films and says cinema conversations can feel like “you want to kill them”

James Gray said at the Locarno Film Festival that actors play a central role in shaping a movie’s look and feel, adding that he has a recurring reaction when performers express interest in working with him. Speaking in connection with the Career Leopard honor, the U.S. director told the festival audience that he is “always shocked” when an actor wants to collaborate, framing actors not as interchangeable talent but as creative forces that can determine how a film ultimately develops.

Gray described his approach as highly dependent on the performers themselves, saying that actors “dictate the style” of his films. He made the point in an interview context at Locarno, where his remarks were included alongside the festival’s announcement that he would be receiving its Career Leopard, an industry recognition tied to long-form accomplishment rather than a single project.

When asked about the way people talk about cinema, Gray offered a more vivid description of what those conversations can feel like from his perspective. He said that when people discuss movies in a certain way, “you want to kill them,” using a blunt line to convey how strongly he believes film talk can be miscalibrated, or can provoke hostility toward the viewer’s expectations and the filmmaker’s intent.

Gray also spoke about his view of what films represent for audiences. He characterized movies as “the closest thing we have to a dream,” presenting cinema as a medium that can recreate the emotional and imaginative experience that dreams provide, while still being made through craft, collaboration, and disciplined storytelling.

The comments arrived as Locarno prepares to stage Gray’s award presentation as part of its festival program. The Career Leopard is intended to recognize an artist’s broader body of work and influence, and Gray’s interview remarks tied that lifetime perspective to the practical realities of filmmaking, including the way actors, directors, and the interpretive choices behind performances shape the final product.

Although Gray discussed filmmaking in direct terms, the remarks also underscored the relational nature of the director-actor dynamic that drives production decisions. By emphasizing that actors set the tone, and by describing his surprise when actors want to work with him, Gray positioned casting and collaboration as key levers in his creative process rather than matters of convenience or standard scheduling.

Locarno’s audience will see how those ideas translate from talk to screen in the festival setting, with Gray’s Career Leopard recognition serving as the central event. The director’s statements highlighted themes of collaboration, audience interpretation, and the emotional stakes of cinematic language, all in the context of an award designed to mark his standing in the industry.