Directing Actors: The Right Way vs. The Wrong Way
Advice from a TV writer/showrunner
I’ve worked with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood — stars that are amazingly talented actors and you know and love. I’ve found most of them to be very friendly, down to earth, and easy to work with.
But a few were downright assholes.
Whether I’m working as a showrunner or a director, part of my job is to give these stars notes, to get the performance I need from them.
That’s easier said than done.
It can be intimidating telling a huge star how to do their job, when clearly they know what they’re doing. Worse than that, they carry much more weight than a writer does. If you piss off the wrong person, it’s very easy to fire a writer from a TV show. It’s much harder to fire a star. Writers are replaceable. On air talent is less so.
And yet, every actor — no matter how big — requires direction. And most, believe it or not, want direction. They want to please. That’s why they became actors in the first place.
But you have to be diplomatic about it.
So how do I give actors notes without also offending them?
