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A conversation with Luis Mandoki
by Jeremy Arnold
photo by Elisa Haber
It was understandable that the "Conversation With Luis Mandoki" seminar at the DGA centered around the director-actor relationship. Luis Mandoki has directed many memorable performances, from Rachel Chagall in Gaby, to Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia in When a Man Loves a Woman, to Susan Sarandon in White Palace, to name but a few. In a 90-minute dialogue with fellow DGA director Rodrigo Garcia, the Mexican-born Mandoki shared some of his working methods and approaches to directing.
The event was co-sponsored by the Latino Entertainment Media Institute (LEMI), and before the conversation began, LEMI founder Bel Hernanadez welcomed the audience and briefly explained the purpose of the Institute — to offer resources, workshops, and other guidance to emerging Latino artists. Some of the first filmmakers it helped in 1997 have now finished their first films, one of which will play in the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. "We've seen the growth and it's wonderful," said Hernandez, "and we are very proud that the DGA has been one of our sponsors for the past five years. We feel they are really about nurturing the up and coming Latino talent."
After further introductions by DGA Independent Directors Committee (IDC) member Michael Uno, the audience was treated to a screening of clips from several Mandoki films, all of which revealed the director's ability to coax performances of great depth out of a variety of actors. In the ensuing discussion, it became clear that Mandoki reveres the process of collaborating with them.
"What I've learned through the years is actors need to trust you," he said. "They're very vulnerable. For them to do the work, you have to create a space of security and safety. And they test you! They're watching to see if you listen, and they know whether you watch their nuances or not."
For example, on Mandoki's current project, the thriller 24 Hours, the director recalled Kevin Bacon telling him of the freedom he felt because of the careful attention Mandoki was paying him. "Kevin said, 'I really appreciate when you tell me I'm pushing my performance. I feel like I can fly and make mistakes.' Actors love it when you tell them the truth — if you are just straightforward and say what you think, instead of manipulating them."
Mandoki has found that the trust works both ways. "Sometimes you know what you want but you just can't find the words. On one shot, it was take 4, and I said, 'Kevin just do something!' And he knew he could try stuff. We cut, and he said, 'Let me tell you all, that was the most brilliant piece of direction I ever had!' [laughter] You can get away with that if there's a trusting relationship."
Trust is especially vital for scenes of intense emotional vulnerability, such as love scenes. On White Palace, Mandoki learned from Susan Sarandon that actors doing love scenes need to be told exactly what to do. "Susan said, 'if you don't tell us, then we improvise, which makes us even more than naked on the screen. So be very precise — we like that.' Another big problem with love scenes in movies is that usually writers write, 'They make love.' It's one line and so you have an hour to shoot it, but it usually really takes two to three days."
However, Mandoki also pointed out the vital importance of a great script in drawing good performances. When a Man Loves a Woman was one of his favorite shooting experiences, he said, because of the phenomenal script quality, which excited the actors. "I'd be blocking a scene and the actors would say, 'God, this dialogue has so many layers, so many nuances!' It motivated them."
On the same film, Mandoki guided his actors on a system of dream interpretation as a tool to enhance their work. "I learned this technique of writing a letter to yourself before going to sleep, asking for a dream that you will apply to a character or a scene. You write, 'If it is your will, please reveal to me the theme of this movie or of tomorrow's work.' And every morning I would go to the actors' trailers and interpret their dreams. We did a lot of improvisation. It's not religious. If you believe that there's an inner wisdom or consciousness — you can call it whatever you want — then you can connect to that through a dream to receive a message."
Mandoki is eager to do a film that would take him back to his native Mexico, to do a story "that goes back to my culture." When he first came to Hollywood, he felt alienated by the cultural differences, "like the humor, or the way audiences react emotionally.
"Now I feel it's my culture too, but at the same time there's my other culture which I was born into. I miss it. I want to give something back."
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