This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. On…
One of my favorite genres also happens to be one of the least appreciated — horror. I’m sure philosophers and therapists can offer endless theories on why we love being scared, but it’s safe to say that horror films offer an experience like no other… when done correctly. Of course, it’s also one of the hardest genres to get just right, and a performance in the medium can make or break the movie.
Says Shyamalan, “There’s no energy left to do any of that. From the time I land, it’s a chess match against the clock for me. So there’s not time to play gags on people, at least not from me.” Instead, the filmmaker trusts in his actors and gives them the freedom to try different things. But there is one emotion that is off-limits. “The only thing I don’t allow actors to do in the movies is feel sorry for themselves,” he says. “I think audiences can find that indulgent in a way that’s offensive. But as soon as characters feel sorry for themselves, audiences are like: ‘I’m out.’”
He continues, “You can show anger, you can show fighting, you can be funny, but you have to be active in your own survival. If you feel sorry for yourself, that’s a form of giving up, and that’s not a circumstance I want to put them in.”
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