The filmmaking rule Steven Spielberg won’t break for any actor: “I have never done that”
The cinematic medium undoubtedly has its greatest heroes and Steven Spielberg certainly sits at the top of the pile. After all, few filmmakers have achieved the kind of distinction of Spielberg, who has not only earned critical admiration consistently throughout his career, but has made huge box office takings in the process.
Some of the best pieces of cinema ever made have arrived as a result of Spielberg’s prowess as a visionary director, including Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. Quite simply, Spielberg has a reputation for genuine brilliance and is one of American cinema’s most enduring icons.
Seeing as Spielberg is indeed one of the all-time film greats, it’s only natural that he has his set process for making a movie. After all, such success can only come with a profound understanding of how to actually make a movie and a set of rules that he sticks to in order to bring a production to life.
In fact, Spielberg has one golden rule that he always adheres to and never breaks, even when working with some of the greatest actors like Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. Speaking with the Economic Times, Spielberg once explained his primary principle and how it overshadows his actor.
“For me, it is the screenplay that is the star,” the legendary director explained. “All of us are in service of that story, and the point is to tell it in a dynamic and colourful way.” In that light, Spielberg has never allowed even his biggest stars to steal the show when it comes to the overall making of a movie.
Sure, the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis and Tom Cruise have indeed given commanding performances in Spielberg’s films, but at the heart of their brilliance lies the undoubted commitment to tell a story and to tell it well, which departs from the kind of movies that used to be made in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Explaining how things used to be “in the old days when the studio system was more powerful than it ever was”, Spielberg noted, “The studio chiefs dominated the business; they cultivated superstars, and they tailored stories for those stars.” Spielberg and his generation of filmmakers, though, have largely departing building a movie around a movie star.
He added, “My generation has done the opposite; we found good stories, and we cast the right people to play the characters, and I still work with stars.” Spielberg explained that Tom Hanks, who has worked with the director on many occasions, knew that he “did not come first” and understood that the most important thing about a film was its narrative.
Equally, when Leonardo DiCaprio starred in Catch Me If You Can, he was chosen for the role well after the script had been written. “I have never written a story to fit the actor, to fit the icon, I have never done that,” Spielberg explained. These comments reveal Spielberg to be a true master of visual storytelling who believes in his own vision.
Equally, only someone with the reputation of Spielberg would have the strength to prevent his biggest stars from overshadowing his commitment to narrative. Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio might be some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but even they get Spielberg to break his golden rule.
