James Cullen Bressack, Filmmaker: I imagine every character is a blank canvas and what I do is I
take my ideas about the character as informed by the script and they take their ideas about the
characters informed by the script, we throw them at the canvas and whatever works for both of us,
that's what we use to paint the picture of who that person is.
Film Courage: Do actors drive the production of movies more than people realize?
James: For sure. Well in what sense actually?
Film Courage: Suppose once you have a certain name attached, more money will follow?
James: There you go, that's what I thought you meant. That's a hundred percent.
An actor being involved in your project means that (a certain caliber actor) means a certain caliber
of budget. So certain movies that you want to be able to do all these crazy things can only happen
if a bigger name gets involved so it's kind of yeah they definitely do, at least at this level.
Film Courage: what about this myth that actors are at
home and they have this pile of scripts that are sitting on their coffee table,
they can pick which one they want to work on and it's super easy for them?
James: It depends on the level of actor. Certain level of actors, they have a ton
of offers and they say no to a bunch of stuff and the ones that they do say yes to
is far between and it has to hit like a certain quote and stuff. But then you have other actors
that are actively campaigning for roles and doing stuff. It depends on the project, it depends on
if they connected with the project, it depends on if they want to work with a certain actor that's
already involved with a project or a certain director that is already involved with a project
or a producer and it's the business evolves and grows each each it keeps dying and being reborn
every time something new comes into it. Then you see a lot of actors that are just going what I
want to make a movie where I'm playing this role and and I'm not getting offered that so I'm just
going to put the whole production together myself yeah that's what I was going to ask next without
naming names but I wonder if there are actors I'm sure there are that are a victim of their
own success and then people think oh well my little indie film even though I'm paying them
they'd never say yes to it yeah probably so then they don't work because they're no one's
reaching out to them prob maybe maybe but but also I don't know because right now it's like i've i've
had without naming names i've had tons of actors where I'm like this person hasn't done a movie in
five years let me see if I can get them and I get turned down so so it's maybe they're super picky
or this or that like who knows I because I for a while I was like let me hunt down people that have
not done something in a while see if I could get them and like a lot of the time they're like nah
okay so so there's a reason then yeah yeah because I thought like I thought like you I was like
this is yeah if they haven't done something in a few years this is the perfect person
but no it's not always it's not always the case do you think most actors are waiting by the phone or
the the tough question because most people have a phone in their pocket okay so they're waiting
for someone to email them with a contract or with a script I don't know I feel like it's levels of
actors people that are trying to get their break maybe but like I think actors that are already
have blown up and stuff they're they're more so just they're already involved with some tv
show or some like you have netflix that has almost every actor or marvel that has almost every actor
doing something with them now at this point it's a lot of a lot of people are working right now it's
so it's it's interesting it's an interesting time there's a lot of content being made how much
power does an actor have in getting a film made it depends on the size of the actor but like you know
quite a bit just to throw out like a random actor without like I do not know this person but if tom
cruise said hey I want to make this movie that movie is getting made like it's it's if if brad
pitt goes I really like this script this should be made it's getting made leonardo dicaprio like
there's there's certain and you can't say that about directors nowadays a director might really
love a script the big director might really love a script that might be more of a struggle to get
made unless they have one of those actors on board how do you build trust with a name actor
showing that you care showing that you care about the quality of the movie showing that you're not
going to make them look bad showing that you have a thought process on why you're doing
things being able to communicate and fully realize and and explain your thought process
you know I think that's how how do you create a safe environment on set and maybe give because I'm
sure there's people coming up to them while on set no no no i've never seen that that usually happens
at the very end of the shoot when the actor's wrapped then people will be like oh I want to take
a picture with you but everybody in my experience has been very professional up until then
okay so you don't need to protect them in some way no you don't need to be like oh no no no pictures
they're not like nobody's crew members aren't going like hey let me take a picture with you like
during the day of filming it's it's when they're wrapped on the whole movie people will be like hey
let's take pictures well not so much pictures I think people probably know that that there's an
etiquette that you don't cross but like hey what that was great man by the way I got this script
can I just can I just give this to you I don't think I don't think so yeah I don't I don't know I
don't know if that happens at all I don't know if that happened maybe i've never seen it maybe but I
haven't seen it happen okay all right so the so pretty much everyone knows their place and
it's there's not a lot of crossover I think so or i've just been really lucky that too
but I think so what do you think they want from you when you're on set with an actor
name talent first timer whatever what do you think they want from you as a director I think
most actors that i've dealt with want to feel like they're not being like hung out to dry that you're
not just like leaving them in the wind that you have some type of idea of storytelling some type
of a a clear idea of what their character arc is and why they're saying certain things a lot of
the time an actor might want to know why you feel their character is saying something in the script
why they're saying these exact lines what what is the what is the emotion they're trying to get
across and if you're able to communicate with them about that and you're talking with them about that
and they understand where the camera is and what the scene is that that's what they want
to know and just being like oh yeah you're in the scene you're mad like that's not gonna work
you start doing that then you're gonna start having an actor that doesn't really want to
trust in you you have to be able to earn that trust by having clear communication of what your
vision is for their character and that vision can change based upon the conversations you have with
them but being able to have those conversations where you dig into the character together and you
imagine like I imagine every character is a blank canvas and what I do is I take my ideas about the
character as informed by the script and they take their ideas about the characters informed by the
script we throw them at the canvas and whatever works for both of us that's what we use to paint
the picture of who that person is and so like having those conversations and being able to
be like hey remember we talked about in this situation your character would be feeling like
very reserved because they don't really like blah blah blah whoever the whoever the person
is or I don't know or like their mother you you would have this feeling because your mother was
this character reminds you of your mother in this circumstance or whatever right whatever it is
sorry I'm just trying to come up with some something but being able to call back to those
conversations that you had in the beginning is is is I think important what if it's not working with
an actor how do you how do you gently let them know what do you mean not working well what if
the emotion you want from them is just not coming out there's a let's say it's a it's a scene
where somebody's begging someone to to give them another chance and then there's just it's just not
translated I like playing to people's strengths so if somebody if they're not strong in that type
of thing come up with a way that your their character would be reacting that is realistic
to the circumstance so I play towards somebody's strengths you don't want to try and have somebody
who's not strong at doing a certain thing do something that they're not strong at you play
towards the strength that they have so you adjust the scene in a way that goes okay well maybe
this person's begging for them right but maybe it's a more reserved begging that comes in from
that bubbles up from inside and they're welling back tears and they're trying to beg but they
don't know how right maybe they're not able to keep eye contact they're breaking eye contact
they can't look at the person because of how ashamed they are inside of himself
right you change the whole scene right to fit what the person can do and it still keeps the emotion
of the moment but maybe just shifts the meaning of the moment right but it still maybe fits the
character's arc that you're creating so you find while working with somebody what their strengths
are and then you play towards their strengths you don't want to hang them out to dry and have them
do something that they're not strong at that's excellent so you're not making an introverted
character who's more internal become this like lioness and start roaring if that's not their
style anyway right exactly exactly unless it's something that really needs to push for that
moment and they've been playing introverted from the beginning because that's what you had
talked about but they knew they were going to ramp up to this right but like ultimately like
people show you and tell you who they are and what they play towards like you listen
to them you have to listen to what somebody's good at like when you're when you're looking
at it like a football game like if you're there and somebody's you're running back and you hand
them the football and they run the ball over and over again you're not gonna go hey listen you're
really good at running the ball let's have you be the quarterback now right like you're gonna
be like okay like play towards somebody's strong suit like so you would just you adjust things and
maybe they can throw the ball and maybe find out they can throw the ball so you let them throw the
ball one time and that's good but you you you got to play towards what somebody's good at.