Don Cheadle Explains How to Capture Characters from the Outside In (& from the Inside Out)

What do today's great actors look for in a director? Well, Don Cheadle has some ideas.

The actor was at this year's SXSW with his film Miles Ahead, which he directed and starred in, and at the festival, he sat down with critic David Edelstein to have a conversation about the subtleties of a good performance, job security, and what directors can do to make sure their projects are living up to their full potential.

Here are some takeaways:

Some of the best performances involve simply listening

Not all dynamite performances involve crying and screaming and crawling through mud; sometimes all it takes is an observant gaze and an engaging stance. Cheadle says that even when the focus is not on his character during a scene, he still makes sure that he's "present", "alive", and "acting in the spaces." This is definitely a good thing to keep in mind when directing actors, because if you pay attention to the edges of the frame, you might just find some gold.

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from No Film School http://ift.tt/1o5Z3pN