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
On Reviews: Why Bad Ones Are More Useful Than Good Ones
At 40:50 · chapter starts 40:00
Louis asks whether Lanthimos reads his reviews, and the answer is: not the positive ones. Lanthimos finds praise uncomfortable and says he has little to gain from it — by the time a film is out, he has a general sense of how it is landing through promotion and awards season conversations. Bad reviews are different: he sometimes clicks on particularly savage ones to see whether they contain something truthful, and more often finds they reveal a viewer who wanted a different kind of film rather than a genuine diagnosis of failure. He also admits that too much critical analysis of his own work makes him uneasy, because he works instinctively and over-explanation of his methods risks undermining that process. [1] — Yorgos Lanthimos "Lanthimos actively avoids reading positive criticism — it makes him uncomfortable and offers nothing new. He occasionally seeks out savage …" 40:00
Lanthimos actively avoids reading positive criticism — it makes him uncomfortable and offers nothing new. He occasionally seeks out savage reviews because they can be instructive, especially when a critic's frustration reveals that they simply wanted a different kind of film. That distinction — wanting a different film versus saying a film is badly made — he finds genuinely fascinating.
