Aristotle famously wrote, “The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.”
This applies to the most accomplished artists as reflected in the awards coverage in this issue of SHOOT. Gina Prince-Bythewood, lauded for directing The Woman King, shared that she learned a valuable lesson from the film. Growing up as an athlete, Prince-Bythewood felt it imperative not to show any vulnerability. This was reinforced further as a Black female director. “In my mind, vulnerability was weakness,” she recalled. But as she came together and worked in close-knit fashion with producer/actor Viola Davis and actors such as Lashana Lynch, “women who are in touch with that side of themselves,” Prince-Bythewood saw the value of vulnerability and revealing one’s humanity. Prince-Bythewood related that this “allowed” her colleagues to “trust me as a director.” To hear and experience that trust was “a stunning thing.”
Similarly playwright Samuel D. Hunter, who adapted his “The Whale” into a movie of the same title (directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser), had a revelation about acting–even though he already had great insights into actors based on their performances of his live-theater productions. Hunter said that Fraser “taught me so much about what a really good film actor can do with a role.” So much so that it sparked Hunter to shape, write and further hone the story as it unfolded during rehearsal and in front of the camera. “There were moments on set that I would see him [Fraser] do something and I would feel, ‘look what he’s doing. Can I give him text to support him with this, some on-the-fly changes? Maybe that will underscore it a little bit more.’ Sometimes it would need that. Sometimes it wouldn’t. It was such an incredible thing to witness.”
And finally there’s the lesson of gratitude, shared Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, who said, “A lot of people didn’t get to work [during the pandemic]. We got to work. Many had been with us since the pilot. It’s a close-knit crew who hang onto each other. Creative endeavors are wonderful for your wallet, resume and career. They can also save you from going insane during insane times. Being with like-minded people who care as much as you do, to be able to hold onto each other, is one of the best case scenarios you can have for a job.”
