How Does Julia Stiles Describe David O. Russell's Directing Style?

Right up front, I want to say how much I love Julia Stiles. She's one of those actresses who is so good at blending into roles and worlds. Her work in the Bourne series is top tier, and she's crushed her leading lady roles as well, carrying a lot of different tones with ease. 

One of my favorite roles for her is in Silver Linings Playbook, where she plays a woman who has her life together, unlike the two lead characters. She's not in the movie as much as I wanted, but she shines in the scenes she's given, especially the dinner party. 

Recently, Stiles opened up about working on the film in her new interview with The AV Club, particularly focusing on David O. Russell. 

“I don’t really want to get into David O. Russell as a director, but I learned a lot about acting, for better or worse, in terms of how he treats people on set," she said. "I’m not condoning that, but I learned a lot from him because he constantly talks throughout your take.”

Sounds like a directing style that definitely takes some getting used to.

"He’s talking at you while you’re acting or trying to act," Stiles said. "It’s very jarring, but it got me out of my own head. I had no time to censor myself or be really self-conscious because he’s barking at you and you have to obey or listen. As jarring as it is, it got me to not think so much as an actress, I guess. It got me out of my own head.”

The actress didn't go too far in-depth on the subject, but this echoes what a lot of actors and actresses have said about Russell's unique vision and habits.

It does not sound like he has a lot of sensitivity, and we know he made Amy Adams cry "most days."

“He was hard on me, that’s for sure. It was a lot,” Adams said in a GQ interview. 

Still, Russell can grab A-listers for every movie, so something he's doing is translating. 

It will be interesting to see what each of them goes on to do next. 

Do you think this is an appropriate way to direct actors? Let us know what you think in the comments. 

Source: The Playlist