CHAPTER 21
REHEARSALS
Plays grow out of rigorous rehearsal, but fiction films are usually denied it. Producers argue that rehearsal damages spontaneity, and rehearsing wastes money because actors can learn their lines just before shooting. Screen actors as accomplished as Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Gary Sinise disagree. They prefer to study and rehearse intensively, and it’s no accident that directors famed for their meticulous work at building ensemble acting—Ingmar Bergman, Robert Altman, Ken Loach, and Mike Leigh, as we said earlier—have produced exceptional results and commanded great loyalty from their casts. If top professionals prefer rehearsal, anyone using a cast of mixed experience needs it even more. Let’s ...
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