All language subtitles for 06 Working With Actors

NARRATOR: I think sometimes,
actors are very sensitive.

And they're all wondering.

And, like detectives in
life, they wonder about life,

and they wonder about
the film they're in.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The actor has to
understand enough to make

it real from a deep
place, so you've

got to introduce the thing
that needs to get across

in this particular scene.

When you're looking
at a scene, you're

either in a rehearsal or
just getting going, you know.

And if it doesn't
feel correct, this

is where this thing
of intuition comes in.

It seems sort of
obvious, but how

do you know if it isn't correct?

And then, on top
of that, how do you

know what to say
to make it correct?

It's a tricky question.

Something has to be
judging and watching.

And there has to be some
kind of thing that tells you,

this isn't working.

It could be the way
they're standing.

It could be the loudness
or softness of the voice.

It could be the speed,
you know, like they're not

spending enough time
thinking about something.

There are billions of things.

And then, you sort
of analyze it.

And then, the solution comes,
and you go talk to them.

Sometimes, it just
comes out flawless.

They have understood the
thing from the get go.

Sometimes, the first
things are far away

from where it needs to be.

A lot of talking and
looking them in the eye

and seeing if there's
some understanding based

on these words you're saying.

The proof of the pudding
is in the tasting.

So the next rehearsal,
the next time you try it,

it will be closer if you've
said the right things.

And then, you know, I always say
the same thing over and over,

but at a certain point
after saying these things

and it goes into them, a
light bulb goes off in them.

And they say, I got it.

And then, there it is.

And they kind of then, from
then on, own that character.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

If the person is
cast correctly, there

might be some talk up front.

There might be a half a
rehearsal or something.

And then, the first
take tells everything.

You have that first rehearsal.

It's either spot
on or very close,

or we've got a
lot of work to do.

It's one of those.

The idea is telling
them what to do.

The idea came along to define
this particular character,

the way this character is.

They've been cast because
they feel they're the best

one to realize that character.

Then, you talk to them
so that that character,

they catch the same
way you caught it.

And they say, ah, OK.

And the way you do that
is you have rehearsals.

The first rehearsal, I always
say, could be very far away.

And then, you go talk.

And you say, when you
say this and this,

it could mean this
and this and this.

That could be that, that, that.

No, no, no.

It's this, this,
this, this, this.

Oh, OK.

I got it.

And then, you have
another rehearsal.

Now, instead of being out
here, it's now come into here.

Still, these things.

Oh.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

OK.

Another rehearsal.

It's almost there.

And then, the fine
tuning, this and this.

The light bulb goes off.

They've got it.

They've got it for this scene
and probably for other scenes,

maybe the whole thing.

They own it.

Now, they bring all their
talent down the correct road.

They've got that character.

And you've done your job.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

We're all human beings, so
it would be wrong to say,

you fuckhead.

That's the stupidest thing
you interpreted there.

This is not the right way.

So you would be, you know,
kind and not embarrass them.

And you wouldn't want
to do that, anyway.

You want to go in and
explain something.

And in so doing, you use
words, and you use your eyes.

And you send something
from you to them.

And you use your hands.

And they get it.

A lot of times, it
doesn't work, maybe out

of nervousness or some
kind of fear or some kind

of just not letting
go and letting

that character take over
for different things

or not understanding.

So you make them feel
comfortable so they

can say goodbye to
their personality

and take on a new one.

You make them feel
that it's no problem

failing and trying this thing.

You know, no problem.

It's not embarrassing.

It's a sign of courage,
really, and great work

to try things to make it real.

And no problem if it
comes out embarrassing.

You know, fix it next time.

Whatever.

And then, you explain
certain things.

And eventually, they feel
more and more comfortable,

and they have more and
more understanding,

enough understanding to do it.

And there you go.

You've got it.

It's recorded.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Did you ride that thing all
the way out here to see me?

I did, Lyle.

NARRATOR: Great, great actors.

Great good luck.

Both Richard Farnsworth
and Harry Dean,

they're two of the most
natural actors on the planet.

Richard does this inhale.

It's got all this feeling in it.

It's just incredible--
just before the camera

lifts up and goes into the sky
and Angelo's music comes in.

It's so beautiful.

And Harry Dean has this thing--

I don't know if it was Chief
Sitting Bull-- some letter

that an Indian chief wrote to
the president of the United

States, I think.

And it would make anyone cry.

But Harry Dean, when he
would read this, you know,

he would start crying.

And I had that available.

And then, Richard--

I had them talking a little bit.

I think Richard said, I love
you, Lyle, something like this.

It wasn't part of the
script, but it opened up

a thing in Richard.

And that's where that little
gasp, that little catch, came.

And that was so beautiful.

These things, they come
along just at the right time.

And that's got to be
just great good fortune.

There's nothing
you can do to plan

that like that and at the
same time have it be so real.

[CAR DOORS SLAMMING]

[GLASS SHATTERING]

[SCREAMING]

MAN: Oh, god.

[POUNDING]

[SCREAMING]

MAN: Don't shoot.

Dont!

I can't take it!

Come on!

Tell him you won't tailgate.

Come on.

Do you know how many
fucking car lengths it

takes to stop a car
at 35 miles an hour?

10 fucking car lengths.

That's 106 fucking feet, mister.

If I hadn't stopped suddenly,
you would have hit me.

I want you to get a
fucking driver's manual.

I want you to study
that motherfucker.

And I want you to obey
the goddamn rules.

50 fucking thousand people were
killed in a highway last year.

NARRATOR: At first,
Robert Loggia

was doing the same
lines on the guy.

And I said, Robert, you
know, I can't hear you.

You're whispering.

He said, what?

I said, no, I can't hear you.

And so he went louder.

I say, Robert,
you're whispering.

I can't hear you.

And that went about five or
six times until this one.

They can get themselves there.

They just need to know that
that's what's necessary.

And it's in them.

It's in them.

And you just have
to bring it out.

There's definitely a connection
to violence and humor.

And it is a compulsion.

It's uncontrollable.

And it can reach, you
know, into the theater

of the absurd, this extreme
anger, beyond the beyond anger.

When someone is so driven
and into the stratosphere,

there's some chance
for humor there.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[UTENSILS SCRAPING]

[SIGH]

Well, Henry, what do you know?

I don't know much of anything.

It's the idea and the
way the idea wants to be.

And when you're there
on the day shooting,

you work it so that it
feels like the idea.

And so these awkward pauses
are holding on something.

Another thing I think is say
someone walks out of the room

and closes the door.

A lot of times, people cut with
the sound of the door click,

you know, and go
to the next scene.

But if you close the
door and keep filming,

you suddenly start
seeing the room.

Something starts
happening in the mind.

It's interesting.

[BEEPING]

[DOORS OPENING]

[DOORS CLOSING]

[MECHANICAL WHIRRING]

The idea that got Henry
was I'd grab Jack.

In the very beginning, I'd
grab him by the shoulders,

and I'd make him
show me his face.

And I'd say things to him
like thinking or, you know,

sadness or whatever.

And nothing was working.

Nothing.

And then, I said, OK,
you're a total blank.

Total blank.

And he did a total blank.

I said, that's Henry.

[EERIE MUSIC]