Actors Turned Directors: On Eliciting the Best Performance from an Actor and Other Secrets of Successful Directing

by Jon Stevens

Ten highly popular and acclaimed film directors whose careers began in front of the cameras candidly offer their insights into the all-important and underexplored subject of directing actors. Each actor-turned-director discusses filmmaking and acting as observed from and practiced on both sides of the camera and offers invaluable guidelines and tips on casting, rehearsing, communicating and working with actors, and the whole of the moviemaking process.

383 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

Reviews

[Frank Vivaldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a professional film Casting Director I believe this insightful book ACTORS TURNED DIRECTOR: ON ELICITING THE BEST PERFORMANCE FROM AN ACTOR lives up to its title as it features terrific interviews with 10 excellent cinema directors who started their careers as actors (i.e., Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson, Sydney Pollack, Leonard Nimoy, etc.) should be required reading in all acting schools, as it in deals in depth with the all important actor-director relationship. Other then getting into specific scenes of films these masters directed, Mr. Stevens asked all the directors several similar questions to form a consensus of opinion, i.e., "Do you read actors"? And if yes, "Do like them to read from prepared scenes, or from the screenplay they're auditioning for"? It was fascinating to learn for example that Mel Gibson did not read any of his actors for Oscar winning Braveheart! I also found Leonard Nimoy's interview to be a PhD in actor-director relation including getting excellent performances from Diane Keaton, and Gene Wilder that were both moving as they were informative. The book discusses many other aspects of the film director's job on-set responsibilities and in handling actors including difficult ones as Sydney Pollack faced in OUT OF AFRICA, and therefore I highly recommend it as a must read for actors and filmmakers alike.