Sarah Paulson Reveals Her Secret To Great Acting

Sarah Paulson reveals her secret to great acting and what she learned after working with M. Night Shyamalan.

Since his 1999 hit movie “The Sixth Sense”, M. Night Shyamalan has been known for including twists in his feature films. His latest movie, “Glass”, which we featured speaking role casting calls, is a sequel to both 2000’s “Unbreakable” and 2016’s “Split” is no different.

SPOILER ALERT

In an interview with Decider, Paulson discusses what Shyamalan said to her and how she performed the “twist” scene. When it comes to being part of one of Shyamalan's twists, Paulson reflects on how to play it in a scene best. She says, “I think the secret is that if you play absolute conviction—that if whatever is happening at the moment is truly real for you—then you won’t give anything away. If you’re playing it that you suspect something, then the audience is going to suspect something.”

As for what Shyamalan said about her acting, Paulson reveals, “The main thing he would say to me for almost every scene was: ‘I want to do one where you don’t seem frustrated, and you only seem compassionate.’ That was his big word with me, ‘Compassion, compassion, compassion.’ Always wanting that to be at the forefront of her behavior, her motivation, and her choices. He believed that [Ellie Staple> truly thought she was trying to do something for a greater good, and that there wasn’t malevolence there.”

Related:

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• Netflix’s ‘Ratched’ Starring Sarah Paulson is Now Casting in Los Angeles
• Sarah Paulson’s ‘The Goldfinch’ NYC Casting Call for Middle School Students