Kati Outinen is probably best known for her work with Finnish filmmaker, Aki Kaurismaki, having appeared in many, many of his films, including Match Factory Girl, Take Care Of Your Scarf Tatiana, and most recently, Le Havre. For those unfamiliar with Outinen's work, I sincerely recommend you take a look, she is a model of truth and simplicity. Anyway, below, I've listed some notes from the interview above.
- She says these days it's more important to be quick than good.
- Says you can't force creativity, it takes time - you can't put a deadline on creativity, and you can't control it.
- Aki Kaurismaki doesn't control the actors, he knows what he wants, but he doesn't force the actor to do it.
- She says artists put creativity at the top of their priorities.
- Kaurismaki only rehearses technical things, like blocking.
- Says Kaurismaki doesn't give answers if you ask questions about character - just do something and then he will offer notes.
- Says modern actresses have to look like porn stars but act like businesswomen, thin businesswomen.
- She says there are times when Kaurismaki forgets to tell her that she has the lead role in his films. With Match Factory Girl, he only told her a week before filming began.
For me, the key point is the director not forcing his "ideas" onto the actor - the actor must be allowed to get on with his work, using his own creative dynamics, not those of the director. These days the director dominates the actor, and so the actor may not work in a creative mode, but in a mode to please the director - this may help to explain why modern acting is, in the main, so bland, and under-energied; there is a general lack of creativity. It is crucial the actor bring his own creativity to the scene, and the director must create space for this.
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