AVC: What specific things did you take from the 1962 film?
LS: Manchurian? I think the thing I was most influenced by was when he walks into the lake. There's that wonderful moment where he's sitting in the coffee shop, and some guy accidentally triggers him. He says something like, "Oh, go jump in a lake," and Harvey goes and jumps in a lake. And I thought that the way he played it was just so... precise. In a funny way, he never lost his vulnerability as a character. The look on his face was troubled, but at the same time, he was heading right for the lake, and he was going to get into the water. And there was something very sad about that, that locked inside this man was somebody who didn't want to be the way he was, but had to do what he was told. A child.
It's so compelling, because the idea of brainwashing functions on so many levels. It resonates with family and domineering mothers and politics and social pressure, and all of those things that are so evocative in that film—the original, and ours too. And the vulnerability with which he played it, I just thought was interesting, and very smart. That's what I took away for my version, was that there was a child somewhere in that character that wanted out of what was happening to him, and was so desperate to make contact. I thought that was a very, very compassionate version of the character. It came out very different in me, but that's what I was trying to do for the film.
AVC: What about RKO 281? Did you sit down and study Orson Welles for that role?
LS: I did, I did. I was really nervous about that, because my family are all big Orson Welles fans, and I have some friends who were close to him. It seemed so sacrilegious to play him. But I had a job, I'm an actor, and that's what I do for a living, so I had to figure out what I was going to do to him. And I did, I watched him a lot, I watched all of his films—I must have watched Citizen Kane at least 15 or 20 times. It's strange little things that get into your head—little nuances and rhythms and intuitive things that start to pop up and find your way—I mean, everybody has their little idiosyncratic tics and gestures. Somehow it gives you a sense of their inner tempo, and who they are, which makes it easier to play them.
AVC: Is there less preparation pressure in a role you aren't originating?
LS: You always have to create the character from the ground up. I don't know, I've never really been that concerned about doing something that someone else has done. In some respects, every character has been around forever, so whether it's a new play or a play that has been done before... I don't know. It's something that comes up, but if you're doing your job right, it only comes up after the fact, critically. "How was he compared to..." But in the moment, I don't think audiences think about that. If you're doing your job right, they're in the world of the play, or the story, or the film.
AVC: You're known for going through intense preparation for your characters. Everything Is Illuminated is the first film you've directed—did you encourage your actors to go through a similar process?
LS: No, I didn't, and I realized what a pain in the ass I must have been to every director I've ever worked with. Of course, I encourage them to do whatever helps them get to the role, because I know what acting is like, and how much you're relied on as an actor to create the world for the filmmaker. So whatever information they can create is a gift, is a benefit. But when you're directing a film, it's much more about the practicality of achieving the day. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of time to rehearse, and to create an environment where you can sculpt a character from the beginning. I was working with some non-actors, and I had to help them get very quickly to a place where a scene felt like a scene. [Laughs.] And a lot of that was just about hitting marks, and timing. It was an interesting process for me.
AVC: You said you were a pain in the ass to directors—has anyone you've worked under come out and said "You're overthinking this"?
LS: I'm constantly being told that I'm overthinking. And they're right.
AVC: But would you prefer to work with actors that put that level of thought into a role? Would that suit your style?
LS: I think so. Although there is just a certain amount of "You have to achieve the day." It's different when you're directing a play. There's more time to sort all that stuff out. With a film, you've got limited time, and so you tend to be more results-oriented.
AVC: How did the filmmaking process compare to what you expected it to be?
LS: It was a hundred times harder and a hundred times more rewarding than I ever imagined it would be. It's a really insane, insane process. I'm not sure if I'm immediately ready to go through it again, but I think I will remember it for the rest of my life.
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