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grump66 t1_j5gyiae wrote

>the PERFORMANCE. Simply phenomenal from every. Single. Cast

I wonder if there's a connection between an actor being the director, and the phenomenal performances of ALL of the cast. It certainly seems as if Ben Stiller allows his actors to do their absolute best. I wasn't as captivated by Severance as many are, but I really, really agree with the idea that the performances of the individual cast members is among their best. I wonder if Stiller's extensive experience as an actor may have informed his direction.

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kewizo OP t1_j5h0xbk wrote

I thought about this too. It was just exceptionally good from everyone? That just made me question the method, and i think it might has something to do with Ben. I’m just really looking forward to digging in to the bts of it all

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ZombieStomp t1_j5jcfdn wrote

Ben Stiller also directed the miniseries Escape at Dannemora which features fantastic performances by Paul Dano, Benicio del Toro and Partricia Arquette as well as the rest of the cast so yeah I think he's just a solid director who gives his actors what they need to perform.

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grump66 t1_j5ka0sd wrote

> Stiller also directed the miniseries Escape at Dannemora

Oooh, I didn't know this, it was a pretty good show, and I agree, the performances were uniformly excellent in it.

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ReelWatt t1_j5ibhao wrote

Yes, the performance of each character was outstanding. They made the experience something that was living and breathing.

And it was not a formulaic program. Like the ending I seriously thought was going to go in a different direction. Totally unexpected ending. Not really discussing the details to avoid anyone from being spoiled.

But it took some powering through. But the ending was 100% worth it

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Joessandwich t1_j5jfts9 wrote

I’ve heard it said that there are directors who direct cameras, and there are directors who direct actors.

Obviously many are both, but some directors focus more on the shot while other focus more on the actors performance. It would not be surprising that a director with a significant acting career would be great at getting the right performance.

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MigratingPidgeon t1_j5iqwsi wrote

> It certainly seems as if Ben Stiller allows his actors to do their absolute best.

Think every director wants that. But it does look like Stiller can succesfully draw out the performances he needed from his actors.

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