Mark Pellegrino, one of my favorite underappreciated actors, who’s appeared in all of my features in a starring role, is a fabulously thoughtful actor. He drives the crew crazy because he needs time to get into the character. With the kind of schedules I’ve been shooting, every second counts.

I’ve had to convince the crew that just as they need tech time to set up the shots, the actor needs his time, too. They grumble at me. Actors have to put it out there, while we all get to hide behind the camera or the page.

Tom Lazarus (2001) Secrets of Film Writing. p205-206

I’ve been dusting off a few unread books for a bit of lockdown reading, and who should get a mention but my favourite under-appreciated actor!

The quote comes from a section towards the end of the book. The chapter on dialogue includes example scenes from Word of Mouth, so a mention of Mark wasn’t as unexpected as it might have otherwise been.