ON ACTING: Martinet (Controlling) Directors

A martinet director who demands precise exact, pre-determined performance actions should be treated respectfully in the following manner: the actor should nod sweetly to the misguided director, tell the director they will do exactly as the director asked; then, after the line is said or movement is done in performance by the actor according to the actor’s sense of reality and not the director’s martinet requirements, if the director is left unsatisfied and feels forced to re-iterate the demand in another performance--the actor should reply: “Didn’t I do it the way you wanted?! Let me try again.”

Martinet directors wear out sooner or later.