Legendary director and actress Joan Darling shares her wealth of experience and insights on directing actors and helping them achieve their best work.

Key Insights

Allow your actors to experiment before making adjustments.
Take acting lessons. It will increase empathy and improve communication skills.
Make the whole script available to actors during the casting process so they understand the role in the context of the bigger story.
Take yourself inside the structure of a scene from the perspective of an actor.
You must be willing to go to the same emotional place you want your actors to go.
The work ethic of an actor is revealed by how they prepare for a role.
Create an atmosphere in which there are no mistakes, just opportunities for great moments.

Joan Darling

Director, Writer, Actress

Joan Darling has been nominated four times for an Emmy (the first woman nominated for directing) and twice for a Directors Guild of America award, winning one of each. more...

Tags: Acting