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Getting Great Performances from Actors — Advice from Director Bobby Roth (PRISON BREAK, AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., GREY’S ANATOMY)
No two people are the same. No two actors are the same. I believe directing actors entails:
- Knowing yourself
- Learning about each of your actors and what they need
- Training yourself to listen and assess everyone as an individual
My sole way of learning was trial and error.
Casting
Casting is the single most important element of directing — that’s where most mistakes begin. I believe if you’re looking at anything more than the ability of the actor and quality of the acting you’re never going to fully succeed. I made a myriad of casting mistakes when I began directing, the most prominent and obvious was to cast based on the looks of the actor. The second was to rely too heavily on the resume and imagine that if the actor had been hired a lot and especially if they had been hired by famous or successful directors they were really good.
Don’t talk too much. Many directors make the mistake of spending a great deal of time telling the actor or actors what they are looking for. I think it is better to suggest ideas, ask questions, and try to imagine what working with this actor day…
