#paula beer
During writing, he’s really in his own space and needs to create his story, in a way that you can tell when reading the screenplay, as every single detail from the film is already mapped out. This is why I find him so interesting––he’s so structured, and yet when it comes to rehearsals and filming, he’s so open to suggestions from actors, and surprisingly thrives on spontaneity. He can adapt to anything the shoot throws at him; sometimes I feel like he has two brains.
For example, we worked together after I read the screenplay to further develop how to make a tangible character based on a myth who could feasibly exist in modern Berlin. And then during his rehearsals with actors, we realized that we didn’t need about two-thirds of the dialogue––so we just got rid of it. Working with him never feels like working; he’s very organized, but you always feel like you’re figuring out what works and what doesn’t together.
