Quote · The Louis Theroux Podcast
S7 EP8: Yorgos Lanthimos discusses working with Emma Stone, suffering for his art, and directing a Bourne movie
Where this was said
The Actor Method: Withholding Why to Unlock Something Better
At 48:25 · chapter starts 46:00
The episode's richest stretch on craft examines how Lanthimos works with actors. He explains that his reluctance to explain character motivation is not mysticism or a power play — it is a precise strategy for preserving directorial objectivity. If he and an actor agree on a reason for a behaviour before shooting, they will both unconsciously defend that interpretation even when the camera reveals it is not working. By staying silent, Lanthimos keeps himself genuinely open to being surprised, and gives actors the freedom to arrive at richer, more personal interpretations than he could have scripted. [1] — Yorgos Lanthimos "Lanthimos never tells actors why their characters behave as they do. His reasoning is precise: if he and an actor agree on a motivation bef…" 46:20 He notes that Emma Stone no longer asks why — the implicit trust between them now runs deep enough that she brings her own internal logic to scenes without needing external sanction. He also discusses his infamous habit of performing deliberately bad line readings to show an actor what to avoid, a technique Stone has publicly said she finds irritating — which is precisely why he now does it more.
Lanthimos never tells actors why their characters behave as they do. His reasoning is precise: if he and an actor agree on a motivation beforehand, they both unconsciously defend that choice even if it isn't working on screen. By staying silent, he preserves genuine critical distance and lets actors arrive at richer, more unpredictable interpretations.
Emma Stone revealed that Lanthimos sometimes demonstrates bad line readings in an affected accent to show her what not to do. Far from being insulting, the technique is now a source of in-joke intimacy between them — and Lanthimos admits he does it more often precisely because he knows it winds her up.
