I appreciate this series of conversations with various actors, including Don Cheadle and Michael B. Jordan, all talking craft. It’s good stuff, especially as a director (myself); although it’s been years since I last picked up a camera and made any worth showing. But I recall the process of working with actors, and how I had to learn to not only give, but also receive, as we worked together to bring to life a fully realized character.
I can say that I’m looking forward to engaging the process all over again, at some point in the near future, as a much older, wiser version of myself.
Sometime in the near future, I will be launching a crowdfunding campaign to help not only keep S&A up and running, but to also invest in wonderful original content like this that I think a lot of you will appreciate. Ideas aren’t anything I’m ever short of; it’s the resources to implement them that I lack, and where I will be asking for your help eventually.
In the meantime…
The below series of videos I embedded below, courtesy of “The Off Camera Show” with host Sam Jones – a program that I’m sure some of you are already familiar with – features several actors you’d be familiar with, and respect (at least I think so). If you’re an actor (especially if you’re still new to the craft), you may get something out of what they each share about various aspects of the work. And if you’re a filmmaker, you may learn something here as well. But even if you’re neither, I think you’ll still find these conversations edutaining. In addition to Cheadle and Jordan, there’s Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”), Robert Downey Jr., Ethan Hawke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Krysten Ritter (“Jessica Jones”) and Kevin Bacon. Topics discussed include the auditioning process, building backstory for characters they play, prepping for roles, playing multiple characters simultaneously (in Maslany’s case), working with acting coaches/mentors, and more.
They all speak candidly, and I liked the casual nature of the conversations – almost like old friends talking.
Watch them all below:
