Martin Scorsese Works From Character

You can’t act the story.

Your job is to create another believable human being in conflict.

“Plot is irrelevant to me. I want to follow the soul of that certain character.” - Martin Scorsese

In your first reading of the sides,
Fight the urge to hold on to what you don’t know or what doesn’t make sense.
Fight the urge to make decisions about how you’re going to do it.
Fight the urge to worry about memorizing the lines.

Slow down. Be curious about who this person is.

It’s not about the lines. It’s about the life.

Let go of the fear of looking foolish.
Let go of the fear of being wrong.

Not knowing is powerful.
Being confused and playing the victim is not.

“You’ve got to work from mystery, from wonder, from not knowing.” - Willem Dafoe

Allow yourself to find out.
You don’t have to understand the plot.
Everything is about relationships.

The writer is trying to get you to go down a very narrow path.

Go line by line:
What does the writer want me to feel at this moment about this person, place, event, or thing?

Ask the question: Why did the writer give me this?

Why is the couch this way?
Why is that song playing?

Who gives a shit? You. You give a shit.

Trust the text.
Trust the writer.
You don’t need anyone else.

Read it again. Then read it again.
Find a reason to speak.