John Malkovich thinks Oscars success is key to "get people to go to the theatres".
The 72-year-old star - who has received two Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations for Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire - believes the film industry has changed markedly during the course of his career.
The Hollywood star said at a BFI London Film Festival talk: "[I feel] probably different [about awards consideration] than I did [when In the Line of Fire came out] because the movie business existed [and] it maintained, undeservedly in my opinion, a very high position in the culture. And when I say undeserved, [I] mean there weren’t that many Chinatowns or Godfathers or Godfather IIs.
"Now, [the awards trail] is the only way to get people to go to the theatres, the whole thing, and that’s months and months and months."
John remembered how his early movies achieved box-office success, regardless of the Oscars impact.
He reflected: "Now, [winning an Oscar] seems to be the only way you get people to actually go to a theatre."
Despite this, John is happy to adjust to a changing industry, observing that "you either change with them or die".
The acclaimed actor said: "I’m 72 years old. Things change. I don’t really like thinking, ‘Things aren’t what they used to be.’ They just change, and you either change with them or die. And I prefer to change with them."
Meanwhile, John previously admitted to being "lazier when [he] was younger".
He told The Talks: "I am not sure I had a great work ethic when I began. I had no familiarity with the business or anything about it or it demanded.
"I am not sure I was certain that acting is what I wanted to do with my life. I did it, I was part of a group of people who started a theatre called the Steppenwolf immediately after university, when we were 20 or 22 years old. It was not spectacularly easy and probably made me question as much!
"I liked some of the things we did and the results we achieved, but I still was not necessarily convinced that that’s what I wanted to do with my life."