Hitchcock-Truffaut Episode 11: “All actors are cattle”, ‘Suspicion’, 1941

[@PrimoMagazine]

Hitchcock had a serious disdain for method actors and actresses, although a significant number of them appeared in his television series. His aversion was towards their constant need for improvisation. He was a perfectionist who had already planned the entirety of a film at his storyboard stage. This attribute was key to his financial and critical success. He had already worked out any flaws before shooting the first scene. At day one, he knew the angles and shot direction for an aesthetic quality to make his films resonate. Actors and actresses had only to stay with dialogue and not waver from specific action; much of it laid out like a blueprint.

[@gregorsamsa2271]

In all honesty - method actors really can be a pain in the ass though^^ So I kinda understand where Hitchcock was going with that. With certain directors it might work (Fellini or Lynch for example, since they themselves often improvise). But if you had planned it out already, any meddling could be perceived as disruptive to the flow of the work.

[@ahmedhikmet1057]

Merci beaucoup