Acting in Film

to ensure that your appearance remains consistent day after day. Makeup artists and directors will usually take note of any inconsistencies, but no one is infallible and no one is going to thank you if a scene has to be reshot because you held your tongue. When I was in Zulu, my first major role, I had a scene that required me to jump off a burning house. Massed Zulus were coming toward me. It was a big number. We finally finished the scene, much to my relief. Then the continuity girl suddenly said, "Hang on. Michael's shirt was buttoned up to the collar in the sequence before this and now he's got two buttons undone." Of course I'd undone them between takes, probably because of the heat. We had to shoot the whole damn thing over again.

    172 20th Century-Fox/Palomar Pictures. All rights reserved.
    SLEUTH
    Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. 20th Century-Fox, 1972.

    The costume that was fitted for you with the costume designer will be in your dressing room or trailer when you arrive, and a wardrobe assistant will check with you to make sure that the costume is complete and that it fits properly. But as with your makeup and hair, taking care of the costume until you get on the set is up to you. Common sense comes in here. If you're supposed to be immaculate, it doesn't make sense to sit about in the clothes for hours because you'll just be a crumpled mess when your moment comes. But if it's a lived-in sort of costume, it may be a good idea to get into it ahead of time. If it's a period costume, you may also want to wear it for a while to get the hang of a cloak or train. These decisions are up to you; the only definite rule is to be ready when you are called to the set. The assistant director will warn you in plenty of time.
    I always think I'm ready, but I've got a psychological aversion to getting my tie or shoes on. When the moment comes to be all dressed I sometimes discover the shoes are the wrong size, and then there's a big panic while the dresser rushes off to find another pair. While my shot is being lined up, I'm usually knotting my tie and still wearing my own shoes. I try to wear my own until the last minute because they're bound to be more comfortable. In fact, I always ask if my feet are going to be in a shot; the director usually tells me, "No, it's fine," and then the camera pulls back and, lo and behold, there are my dirty old sneakers. If I'm playing a well-dressed businessman, the shooting has to stop while the right shoes are produced. So don't follow my practice on this one.

TRY EVERYTHING
    There is some sleuth work you can do at the studio that will add considerably to your command of your role. In fact, if you don't do it, you may very well look like an idiot once you do get on the set. If that set is supposed to be your character's home or office, you'd better get out there before it's filled with technicians and learn where every prop and piece of furniture is and how everything works. I always go onto the set before the take so that I won't have to look around to find the cigarette box when I reach for that cigarette or the phone when it rings. Those things should be second nature, as they are in your own home or office. Make sure you know which way each door opens because you're supposed to have been in and out of that room fifteen hundred times. If you try to leave your house by pushing a door that only opens inward, or show any hesitation at all, it's obvious that you're really not at home there. You've got to know how every object on that set works because in your own home, you do everything with extra facility.

    ZULU
    Directed by Cy Endfeld. Embassy Films, 1963.
    'Pictured with Stanley Baker.

    Doors are always a problem on a set and especially worth a thorough check ahead of time. If you have to knock on a door and then enter, you may find when you try the knob that the paint that has just dried has glued the door shut. During the rehearsal, try everything you are supposed to use or handle, and if there isn't a rehearsal, try it all on your own anyway. So if the door is stuck, you can politely inform the assistant director and he can get one of the crew to solve the problem. Of course, now here comes the take: you knock on the door, and it flies open before you even touch the knob. That's typical. But at least you did all you could.

    The way the set is put together sometimes surprises you during fights, too. You don't fight full blast in rehearsal, of course, so on the take, while