The ‘lazy’ man’s guide to directing actors, according to David Cronenberg

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who knows the key to professional success is working smarter, not harder.

Well, according to the (self-described) “lazy” David Cronenberg it is. In conversation with staff writer Mark Olsen about his latest film “Crimes of the Future,” the Canadian filmmaker explains why he lets actors run with their intuition about their characters — and how it led to Kristen Stewart unexpectedly reaching into Viggo Mortensen’s mouth.

Also in Screen Gab No. 43, a one-paragraph recap of this year’s Emmy nominations, two TV shows to check out this weekend and more. Plus, we’re always looking for reader picks: Send your TV or streaming movie recommendations to [email protected] with your name and location. Submissions should be no longer than 200 words and are subject to editing for length and clarity.

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Léa Seydoux, from left, Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart in the movie “Crimes of the Future.”

(Nikos Nikolopoulos)

Times film critic Justin Chang recently named David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future” (VOD, multiple platforms) as one of the top films so far in 2022. It is the first movie from Cronenberg in some eight years, and while the Canadian filmmaker has long been revered as a master of modern horror, he is less often acknowledged as a low-key king of unexpected, uncomfortable comedy.

“Crimes” is set in a near-future society where Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux are a pair of performance artists who use their bodies for their work, extracting new organs grown within Mortensen’s insides. Kristen Stewart is a government functionary who finds herself attracted to the pair and their work, overcome by feelings she doesn’t know what to do with.

When I recently spoke to Cronenberg about “Crimes of the Future,” he talked about what to do when an actor arrives with a deliriously eccentric performance. —Mark Olsen

The actors have talked about how you tend to leave them alone; you don’t necessarily direct your actors a lot. When someone like Kristen Stewart comes to set having made the choices for that voice, those mannerisms, what do you do? Do you adjust her at all to fit in with something else you had in mind?

David Cronenberg: No, I’m delighted. I don’t rehearse. I tried it once on “The Fly” and it was a disaster and I’ve never used it again. We sort of block the scene, to see where people are gonna move in a set and where they’ll say their lines. But until I’m shooting, I really don’t know what they’re gonna do. And I want them to use their own intuition, their own experience, their own reading of the script to present me with something. I think if I started to present them with some ideas I had, I might derail them from their actual organic, intuitive reading of the role. And if it comes out wrong, then we have a discussion, we talk about why it’s wrong and how can it be righted again.

There are some directors who like to pretend that they have to break down actors and then build them up and do all kinds of weird psychological games and stuff. If you’re working with professional actors, you don’t have to teach them how to act. They know how to act, and I, as an actor — professional though not that experienced or that good — know from the inside out that as you’re learning your lines, you start to shape those, and then when you see what the other actors are doing, that changes what you do. I’m fairly lazy, basically. I mean, if they’re great, why would I change it?

But something like, for example, the scene between Kristen and Viggo when she reaches into his mouth, how do you respond to a moment like that on set?

Cronenberg: I had no idea she was gonna do that and neither did Viggo. And I think it was because of the way Viggo was using his mouth, and I have no idea if she planned it. We didn’t talk about how it came to be. When I saw it, I just thought, “Well that’s just great. I’m gonna do some coverage and closeups, and I want you to do the same thing, basically.” The understanding of the role is that she wants to be inside him. She wants to be able to do the dissection and do the operations on him. She wants that strange, weirdly erotic surgical intimacy. But now she’s just got him in her office, that’s her fortress. She’s a little timid bureaucrat at first, but then you begin to see that she’s really very ambitious and she’s somewhat Machiavellian and maybe even a little devious. And now he’s there with his mouth open because he can’t think of what to say. And she sees that that’s an entrance into his body. It was really that understanding and it was terrific and, as I say, that’s not in the script.

What’s next

Listings coordinator Matt Cooper highlights the TV shows and streaming movies to keep an eye on

Fri., July 15

“Don’t Make Me Go” (Prime Video): John Cho plays a single dad diagnosed with a terminal illness in this poignant 2022 drama.

“Farzar” (Netflix): A new adult-themed animated sci-fi comedy that isn’t “Rick and Morty.”

“Forever Summer: Hamptons” (Prime Video): Young folks look for fun and romance in this new docusoap.

“Love Accidentally” (Freevee): A career woman (Brenda Song) inadvertently slides into her office rival’s DMs in this new rom-com.

“Persuasion” (Netflix): Dakota Johnson puts on her most Austen-tatious accent for this 2022 update of the beloved 18th century novel.

“Zombies 3” (Disney+): Some extraterrestrials join the party in this new entry in the fantasy-musical franchise.

“CMT Campfire Sessions” (CMT, 10 p.m.): Jason Aldean is pickin’ and grinnin’ in the Season 2 premiere.

“The Rehearsal” (HBO, 11 p.m.): “Nathan for You’s” Nathan Fielder uses his “expertise” to “improve” everyday people’s “lives” in this new “reality” series.

Sat., July 16

“Campfire Christmas” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.): S’more the merrier in this new holiday romance.

“Nikki Glaser: Good Clean Filth” (HBO, 10 p.m.): The aforementioned comic works blue in this stand-up special.

Sun., July 17

“Lies My Sister Told Me” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.): Her twin sister is evil — evil, I tells ya! — in this new TV movie.

“Colosseum” (History, 9 p.m.): Are you not entertained?! If not, maybe try this new series that tells the story of that ancient Roman venue.

“History’s Crazy Rich Ancients” (History, 10 and 10:30 p.m.): They’re rich as Croesus, if not richer, in this new series.

Mon., July 18

“Walking Tudor England” (Acorn TV): Follow in the footsteps of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, et al. with this new series.

“The Captain” (ESPN, 7 p.m.): Former New York Yankees shortstop and recent Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Derek Jeter is profiled in this new docuseries.

“Shark Attack Files” (National Geographic, 8 p.m.): The docuseries returns for a second season as “SharkFest” continues.

“Caught in the Act: Unfaithful” (VH1, 9 and 9:30 p.m.): Cheaters never prosper in this new unscripted series. “The Real World’s” Tami Roman hosts.

“POV” (KOCE, 10 p.m.): The 2021 documentary “Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust” tells interconnecting stories of environmental devastation and cultural erasure.

“Phrogging: Hider in My House” (Lifetime, 10 p.m.): Think you’re home alone? Guess again with this new true crime series.

Tue., July 19

“Aftershock” (Hulu): This new exposé confronts the cruel inequities that Black women face in the American healthcare system.

“David A. Arnold: It Ain’t For the Weak” (Netflix): The comic plays to a hometown crowd in Cleveland in this stand-up special.

“The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie” (Paramount+): OK, boomers, this new documentary salutes the singer-songwriter’s epic 1971 hit single.

“Love Island” (Peacock): “Modern Family’s” Sarah Hyland is your new hostess with the mostest as the reality series returns for Season 4.

2022 MLB All-Star Game (Fox, 5 p.m.): Baseball’s best take the field at Dodger Stadium for the annual contest. Joe Davis and John Smoltz call the action.

“America Outdoors With Baratunde Thurston” (KOCE, 9 p.m.): Your humble host swings through SoCal in this new episode.

“The Great Muslim Road Trip” (KOCE, 10 p.m.): Are they there yet? Yes, they are, in the finale of this three-part travelogue.

Wed., July 20

“Virgin River” (Netflix): The small-town drama returns for a fourth season. Alexandra Breckenridge stars.

“The 2022 Espys” (ABC, 8 p.m.): Athletes outstanding in their respective fields collect kudos at the annual ceremony. NBA great Stephen Curry hosts.

“Grown-ish” (Freeform, 10 p.m.): This “black-ish” spinoff is back for Season 5. Yara Shahidi stars.

“Expedition With Steve Backshall” (KOCE, 11 p.m.): Kyrgyzstan is the destination in this new episode.

Thu., July 21

“American Horror Stories” (FX on Hulu): The creepy anthology series from the creators of “American Horror Story” scares up a second season.

“The Last Movie Stars” (HBO Max): Oscar winners and long-married couple Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman are celebrated in this docuseries.

“Rap S—” (HBO Max): Gal pals team up to make that shmoney in the hip-hop game in this new comedy from “Insecure’s” Issa Rae.

“Showtrial” (Sundance Now): A spoiled rich girl stands accused of murdering a working-class classmate in this British mystery drama.

“This Is GWAR” (Shudder): Meet the heavily-costumed shock rockers who make Kiss look like the Teletubbies in this 2021 documentary.

“The Old Man” (FX, 10 p.m.): This slow-burn espionage drama starring Jeff Bridges wraps its first season already renewed for a second.