James Gray's festival run for Paper Tiger made its way to Switzerland this weekend, with the director arriving at the Locarno Film Festival to receive an honorary award ahead of the film's premiere on the iconic Piazza Grande screen. While the screening itself drew plenty of attention, it was Gray's reflections on filmmaking that became one of the festival's biggest talking points. Speaking with reporters before the premiere, the acclaimed filmmaker shared candid thoughts on cinema's evolution, the creative process, and the challenges he still faces behind the camera.

The conversation offered a rare glimpse into the mindset of a director whose work has long balanced artistic ambition with personal storytelling. Over the years, Gray has become known for films such as The Lost City of Z and Ad Astra, both of which explored deeply personal themes through large-scale narratives. His latest comments continued that tradition, touching on the changing nature of modern filmmaking and the role directors play within it.

Speaking ahead of Paper Tiger's Piazza Grande premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, James Gray offered a candid look at his approach to working with performers. During the conversation, the filmmaker discussed how he balances his vision for a scene with the instincts of the actors bringing it to life. The discussion eventually led to one of the most surprising remarks from the interview.

Reflecting on the filmmaking process, Gray admitted, "I'm not a good director of actors. It is all about how good they are and letting them have the freedom to be themselves in the scene and to listen to each other". Elaborating on the comment, the director explained that his priority is making sure actors feel comfortable and genuinely listen to one another within a scene.

"I always shoot the rehearsal because messiness is always interesting," Gray said, adding that a useful performance can emerge from either take one or take twenty-five. He ultimately argued that acting is about giving performers the freedom to be themselves and connect naturally, calling that "the key and the core to acting."

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The director also revealed that he arrives on set with a clear vision but lets actors lead on comfort first, adjusting his approach to match the story’s emotional needs. For Gray, creating that environment matters more than dictating performance.

During the same conversation at the Locarno Film Festival, James Gray described cinema as "the art form closest to a dream," he argued that film occupies a unique emotional space, allowing audiences to experience another person's thoughts and perspective in a way few other art forms can. For Gray, that ability remains one of cinema's most powerful qualities.

Expanding on the idea, Gray pointed to the remarkable speed with which filmmaking evolved compared to music and visual art. He noted that only a few years after the arrival of full-length sound films, cinema had already produced what he described as an "ocean of masterpieces," citing Fritz Lang's M as an early example. By contrast, he observed that other artistic mediums often took centuries to reach similar stages of development.

Alongside the Piazza Grande screening of Paper Tiger, Gray is also scheduled to deliver a masterclass at Locarno, where two of his earlier films, We Own the Night and Two Lovers, are being showcased as part of the festival program. The Locarno Film Festival continues through August 15.

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Are you excited to see James Gray's Paper Tiger when it releases? Let us know in the comments!