John Waters
Birthday: 22 April 1946, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Birth Name: John Samuel Waters Jr.
Height: 188 cm
Growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s, John Waters was not like other children; he was obsessed by violence and gore, both real and on the screen. With his weird counter-culture friends as his cast, he ...Show More
As a child, I always wanted to sit in William Castle's lap, not Santa's!
As a child, I always wanted to sit in William Castle's lap, not Santa's!
A movie star is someone you want to either get drunk with or have sex with.
A movie star is someone you want to either get drunk with or have sex with.
I'm 100% gay and about 20% in gay society. Sometimes I'm more comfortable in punk rock clubs than ga Show more
I'm 100% gay and about 20% in gay society. Sometimes I'm more comfortable in punk rock clubs than gay clubs. There are just as many rules I rebel from in the gay world as the straight one. I'm gaily incorrect, but I do vote gay. Hide
(On The Wizard of Oz (1939)) When they throw the water on the witch, she says, "Who would have thoug Show more
(On The Wizard of Oz (1939)) When they throw the water on the witch, she says, "Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness". That line inspired my life. I sometimes say it to myself before I go to sleep, like a prayer. Hide
I would never do hard-core pornography, because it looks too much like open-heart surgery.
I would never do hard-core pornography, because it looks too much like open-heart surgery.
Who on earth would want to assassinate Danny Thomas? It wouldn't even make the front page!
Who on earth would want to assassinate Danny Thomas? It wouldn't even make the front page!
Oh, Squeaky Fromme, where were you when we needed you? [1977: when asked about Anita Bryant]
Oh, Squeaky Fromme, where were you when we needed you? [1977: when asked about Anita Bryant]
Pink Flamingos - I don't think it's my best movie, but God knows the day I die it will be in the fir Show more
Pink Flamingos - I don't think it's my best movie, but God knows the day I die it will be in the first paragraph of my obituary. It helped make trash more respectable. It lasted longer than I ever would have imagined. I still meet young kids who have just seen it and they react with the same disbelief that people did the first time. I'm proud of it. It was made to make fun of censorship laws at the time. All that has kind of faded. If I hadn't done the scene where Divine ate dog shit, Johnny Knoxville would have done it in Jackass. The Jackass movies are the closest in spirit to Pink Flamingos than anything else. Hide
Some call me director, producer, filmmaker. I prefer to call myself pube-king.
Some call me director, producer, filmmaker. I prefer to call myself pube-king.
[when asked by a reporter why crossdresser Divine ate a piece of dog dirt in his film Pink Flamingos Show more
[when asked by a reporter why crossdresser Divine ate a piece of dog dirt in his film Pink Flamingos] It was just a little piece of dogshit, and it made her a star. Hide
I'll never be able to do a sequel to Pink Flamingos (1972) because it would have to end with Divine Show more
I'll never be able to do a sequel to Pink Flamingos (1972) because it would have to end with Divine taking a shit and the dog eating it. Hide
Strive for art in reverse.
Strive for art in reverse.
Sometimes I wish I was a woman, just so that I could get an abortion.
Sometimes I wish I was a woman, just so that I could get an abortion.
I would love to make a movie for very neurotic children. But then perhaps, I've already done that. I Show more
I would love to make a movie for very neurotic children. But then perhaps, I've already done that. I've shown my films at children's birthday parties. They just love them, like Punch and Judy shows. Hide
"My hobby is extreme Catholic behavior -- BEFORE the Reformation." (2000)
"My hobby is extreme Catholic behavior -- BEFORE the Reformation." (2000)
No film can come near The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)'s snuff-like power to horrify. Just saying Show more
No film can come near The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)'s snuff-like power to horrify. Just saying that great title out loud should give even real serial killers the creeps. Hide
As far as socially redeeming value, I hope I don't have any. [1983]
As far as socially redeeming value, I hope I don't have any. [1983]
No matter what your sexual preference or gender, no one likes a man who is fussy about his looks. Yo Show more
No matter what your sexual preference or gender, no one likes a man who is fussy about his looks. You can spend as much time as you want looking good. But don't do it in public. Hide
If someone threw up at one of my screenings, it would be like a standing ovation.
If someone threw up at one of my screenings, it would be like a standing ovation.
Irony ruined everything. I wish my movies could have played at drive-ins, but they never did, becaus Show more
Irony ruined everything. I wish my movies could have played at drive-ins, but they never did, because of irony. Even the best exploitation movies were never meant to be 'so bad they were good'. They were not made for the intelligentsia. They were made to be violent for real, or to be sexy for real. But now everybody has irony. Even horror films now are ironic. Everybody's in on the joke now. Everybody's hip. Nobody takes anything at face value anymore. Hide
To me, bad taste is what entertainment is all about. If someone vomits watching one of my films, it' Show more
To me, bad taste is what entertainment is all about. If someone vomits watching one of my films, it's like getting a standing ovation. But one must remember that there is such a thing as good bad taste and bad bad taste. Hide
I love Judy Garland, but if a reporter were coming to my home, I wouldn't have her music playing. A Show more
I love Judy Garland, but if a reporter were coming to my home, I wouldn't have her music playing. A gay man loving Judy would be like a black person watching a minstrel show. Hide
My favorite movie idea is to do a movie where everything's fake -- the trees, the grass, even the su Show more
My favorite movie idea is to do a movie where everything's fake -- the trees, the grass, even the sun. Hide
"If you can make someone laugh who's dead set against you, that's the first step to winning them ove Show more
"If you can make someone laugh who's dead set against you, that's the first step to winning them over to your side." (2000) Hide
[on Camille Claudel 1915 (2013)]: Not since Freaks (1932) has there been such a harrowing pairing of Show more
[on Camille Claudel 1915 (2013)]: Not since Freaks (1932) has there been such a harrowing pairing of a star (the sensational Juliette Binoche) with a cast of genuinely handicapped actors. Once again, the great Bruno Dumont proves he is the ultimate master of cinematic misery.[2013] Hide
I pride myself on the fact that my work has no socially redeeming value.
I pride myself on the fact that my work has no socially redeeming value.
John Waters's FILMOGRAPHY
All
as Actor (196)
as Director (4)
as Creator (5)
John Waters'S roles
