Movies - TV
Michael Ironside Has A Sneaky Way Of Testing The Directors He Works With
By BILL BRIA
Seasoned actors have their own sly ways of testing the waters, especially with young, inexperienced, and untested filmmakers whose reputations don't yet precede them. Canadian thespian Michael Ironside, who's been working at a steady clip since the mid-1970s, has his approach to testing out new directors down to a science, and it's as effective as it is sneaky.
In a 2015 interview, Ironside revealed, “I'll ask obvious questions of directors, especially young directors, that are contrary to the good of the film, and I'll ask them, what about changing this?” Ironside tested the “Turbo Kid” directors with this method and recalled, “They were right on top of it and said no, we need this and this and this. And they were very comfortable saying no.”
Ironside’s “tests” are a sly way to build trust and communication with directors. He isn’t looking to disrupt things with his tactics, but instead wants to establish a creative environment built on respect. As he elaborated, “I kind of pride myself on trying to fit into a production. [...] You've got to trust, once you're on board, you're on board. Once the ship sails, you're on board.”