I rarely talk about acting in movies, even though it’s kind of my favorite thing about them. I came to movies through actors—not directors or genres or even eras of filmmaking. If I saw an actor that I liked, I’d find myself thinking about that actor—how he1 held his face, the way he was able to make his body look in clothes. The control he could exert over the things that, in ordinary men, are immutable: face, body, hair, eyes. Actors were a window into the concept of having a body I could stand. They still provide this relief, though it’s less a relief or even a compulsion at this point. I think what appeals to me most about actors is the idea of control. Some actors delight in shedding skins and putting on costumes. Other actors play the same roles their entire lives, and that’s what we love about them: the familiarity they give us. But the thing the best actors do is make you forget they’re acting—that’s crucial.
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