Don’t expect Darren Aronofsky to step into the Actors Studio anytime soon.
“I hate Method actors,” the filmmaker said at a Saturday masterclass held in Paris, where he called the never-break-character performance style “just something to hide behind, as opposed to doing the work and being professional.”
“[By all means,] do a tremendous amount of research and really work hard, but acting’s make believe,” he continued. “If you’re going to do an intense scene, [there’s nothing wrong with] keeping yourself isolated, focused and ready in between takes to maintain that emotion. It’s a sport, a game — only, to be a great basketball player, you don’t have to be dribbling all the time. That’s not how it works. You do your homework, and get yourself ready. It’s only a fake reality between action and cut.”
The “Black Swan” director didn’t cite any actor in particular — though his leading man in upcoming film “Caught Stealing,” Austin Butler, has been known stay in character for long stretches. And when asked how he deals with Method adherents, Aronofsky granted that such an all-in approach could be “fine, as long as it’s not debilitating for the rest of the crew,” while drolly describing his own method when directing such performers.
“It’s fine if that’s how [these actors] want to spend their time,” he said. “But I just encourage them to relax a bit!”
Onstage for a career retrospective organized by the French Cinematheque, Aronofsky also drew connections between his previous work and “Caught Stealing.” As he had done with his previous four films, Aronofsky structured his latest to play off a singular and dynamic screen presence, calling Butler his “anchor” and noting that “we sort of built a world around him.”
Aronofsky called “Caught Stealing” a “beautiful exercise” in genre filmmaking, akin to “Black Swan.” “It’s just a crime caper that we tried to make really well – and that was a really fun activity,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a classic genre and just trying to make it better, and to do things with real craft.”
Tellingly, the filmmaker later described the degree of darkness in his films as inversely related to the wider public climate. Aronofsky noted that when he made “Requiem for a Dream” in 2000, “Paris Hilton was the most famous person in the world.”
“Now, Trump is the most famous person in the world, so I need to work even harder to be an optimist,” he continued. “With all the challenges we’re facing, I try to think about all the things that can connect us —and what I’m trying to do with my work now.”
Read the full article here
